The 2000s were mired in controversies for beef producers in the U.S. with about 50 countries, including Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, banning beef imports from the country. This followed the first case of mad cow disease, reported in Washington state in 2003, in a cow imported from Canada. By 2006, the impact of this incident had started to wane. However, an incident in 2008 reignited concerns after a California meat company recalled roughly 143 million pounds of meat in what became one of the biggest food recalls in the history of America. It was four times bigger than the previous record when 35 million pounds of ground beef were recalled by Thorn Apple Valley in 1999 in Arkansas, after testing positive for listeria.
In February 2008, an animal rights group released videotapes showing downer cows (cows that cannot walk) at animal auctions being pushed with forklifts and sprayed with water to force them to stand long enough to be cleared for slaughter. While animal cruelty was one of the primary concerns, another was food safety, as downer cows pose a risk of diseases. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had banned downer cows after the 2003 incident. The videos led to Westland/Hallmark Meat Company recalling the meat in 2008.
Read more: The Unexpected Meat You Need To Avoid Grilling At All Costs
Some Meat Had Already Been Sent To Schools
The beef in question was produced over a period of two years. By the time the recall occurred, about half of the beef had been distributed — most of it (around one-third) to school lunch programs. Westland/Hallmark Meat Company produced one-fifth of all the meat used in federal school lunch programs at the time, according to CBS News. About 50 million pounds of the meat had already been sent to schools in 36 states. Reports said that more than 20 million pounds of it had already been consumed by school children, while 15 million pounds were destroyed after being pulled out of school freezers and efforts were made to trace the other 15 million.
Fortunately, the recall was classified as Class II, meaning the health risk from the beef was low, unlike a Class I recall — which means it could cause serious health consequences or death. No illnesses were reported in the weeks that followed. However, the incident sparked significant public outrage, especially as it raised concerns about the health and safety of children.
The Incident Prompted Tougher Regulations
The Westland/Hallmark recall led to much-needed changes in the nation’s food safety policies. One change was a complete ban on downer cows for human consumption. This ban differed from the 2003 ban, which allowed cows that passed initial inspections but couldn’t walk later (such as during transport) to still be approved for slaughter after re-inspection. The 2008 ban closed this loophole.
The second change was the USDA’s decision to begin informing consumers if their local grocery store was selling contaminated meat or poultry. Before this, the USDA did not disclose where the recalled products were being sold. The new rule would apply only to recalls that could cause serious health risks or death, particularly for individuals with weakened immune systems. Given that beef is the second most widely consumed meat in America after chicken (per Statista), with Americans consuming an average of about 57 pounds of beef per person per year (per the USDA), these changes came to be important milestones in raising the bar for food safety measures in the country. To date, it remains the largest beef recall in the country, although incidents have not let up, with a 2024 recall of more than 167,000 pounds of ground beef due to concerns over E. coli.
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downer cows, Meat Company, ground beef, beef producers
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