USDA ANNOUNCES CORRECTED INFORMATION IN HOEKSTRA MEAT RECALL

    Washington, August 18, 1998--Hoekstra Meat Co., a Kalamazoo, Mich., food processing firm, has provided USDA with corrections and additional information on a recall initiated on August 14 that now includes about 14,667 pounds of cooked beef products that may have been improperly cooled after processing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today.

    USDA issued a news release on August 14 based on incomplete and inaccurate information from the firm on the products, brand names, and amount (previously reported as 7,875 pounds) included in the recall of cooked beef products.

    According to the new information, the following products are being recalled:

• "Hoekstra Quality Meats Our Signature USDA Choice COOKED CORNED BEEF BRISKET," with the code 189033;

• "Hoekstra Quality Meats USDA Choice COOKED BEEF TOP ROUND ROAST CAP-OFF," with the code 189028 or 189029;

• "Hoekstra Quality Meats USDA Choice COOKED BEEF TOP ROUND ROAST SPLIT," with the code 194007 or 194008;

• "Spartan Supreme Selections OVEN ROASTED BEEF INSIDE ROUND (CAP-OFF)," with the code 189028 or 189029;

• "GFS Gordon Food Service OVEN COOKED BEEF RIBEYE ROAST LIP-ON," with the code 194016, 194018, 194019, or 194020; and

• "GFS Gordon Food Service OVEN COOKED BEEF TOP ROUND SPLIT INSIDE," with the code 195031.

The products are sold in vacuum-packed 8-to-10-pound packages. "EST. 1947" appears inside the USDA inspection seal on the product label. No other products are affected by the recall.

The GFS Gordon Food Service products were distributed to restaurants, delicatessens, and retail food stores in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The Spartan product was distributed to stores in Indiana and Michigan. The Hoekstra Quality Meats brand products were distributed to Georgia and South Carolina.

"Because of the potential foodborne illness hazard, we urge consumers who have purchased the suspect product to return it to the place of purchase," said Thomas J. Billy, administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The problem was discovered by a USDA inspector making a records check for time and temperature controls.

Consumers with questions about the recall may phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday.

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