020762 Colorado Prisoners Were Fed Recalled Beef

Denver, CO - A Colorado prison knowingly fed hundreds of prisoners meatloaf from beef that had recently been recalled because of E. coli contamination, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections said.

"The decision was made that the meat could be safety served if it was cooked at 160 degrees or more. All of our meats are cooked at that temperature," Alison Morgan said, adding that all meat at the state's 22 prisons and detention centers have now been withdrawn as a precaution.

Last week ConAgra launched the nation's second-largest recall of ground beef, almost 19 million pounds, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said meat from the company's Colorado plant may be contaminated with the deadly bacteria E. coli. At least 26 illnesses have been linked to the ConAgra beef.

No Colorado inmates became ill, but all meat at the state's 22 facilities has been withdrawn as a precaution, Morgan said.

The Denver Post reported that inmates at a facility in Buena Vista in central Colorado found the recalled meat in a kitchen freezer and told prison officials. But instead of returning the meat it was served to hundreds of inmates.

Source: Reuters

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