A tonsil recall? Yes, it’s true. Almost 100 pounds of beef tongue produced by Black Earth Meat Market Inc. of Black Earth, Wis. is being recalled not for potential contamination due to the presence of a pathogen such as E.coli or Salmonella. Nor because a foreign material made its way into the packaging. Instead, the reason for the recall is tonsils which were not completely removed.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety ad Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations require that tonsils be removed from cattle of all ages because they may contain the infective agent known to cause Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. There is no indication that any of the cattle slaughtered in connection with this recall displayed any signs of BSE.
The recalled products include various size cases of “Black Earth Meats Natural Beef Tongues” and “Black Earth Meats Local Beef Tongues” produced on October 8, 11, 17 and 18, 2012 with “Est. 34379” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The tongues were shipped to a restaurant in Wisconsin and a distributor in Illinois.
The problem was discovered during a routine safety inspection. No illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall.
