Goody's Girl
07-26-2002, 04:52 PM
Warden Ordered Recalled Beef To Be Served To Inmates
Posted: 6:20 a.m. MDT July 26, 2002
BUENA VISTA, Colo. -- Hundreds of inmates at a Colorado prison were served meat loaf that prison officials knew was made with ConAgra beef recalled because of E. coli contamination, The Denver Post reported Friday. In all,
about 2,500 pounds of recalled ground beef was fed to inmates at Buena Vista Correctional Complex and two other state prisons since June 5. But only those at Buena Vista were knowingly served the meat, at lunch on Saturday, the
Colorado Department of Corrections confirmed Thursday. Inmates at the Buena Vista facility told prison officials that they found recalled meat in a kitchen freezer Saturday. Buena Vista Warden Tony Reid ordered the ground
beef cooked and served. Corrections supervisors did not learn of the problem until they were contacted by The Post. Reid could not be reached for comment.
No disciplinary review was expected, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Alison Morgan said. "The decision to cook it was because they could prepare the meat safely," she said. "We've been using (the meat) since June 5 and had no incidents because we meet health department standards that say any beef product must be cooked in excess of 160 degrees, and we thoroughly check our
meat." The meat was recalled June 30 because of E. coli contamination. The recall became the second largest in U.S. history when the company on July 19 expanded it to 18.6 million pounds. "It clearly was an erroneous decision to
serve the recalled beef," said Dan Hopkins, spokesman for Gov. Bill Owens.
"The executive director of corrections has assured the governor's office that such lapses will not occur in the future." It is unclear how many prisoners ate the meat, Morgan said, but about 850 of the 1,230 inmates there show up for lunch each day. Some of the 150 guards on duty may have eaten the meal too, she said. The other prisons that fed recalled beef to inmates were Delta Correctional Center and Rifle Correctional Center, Morgan said. Since June 5, inmates consumed nearly half the 5,180 pounds of ground beef, Morgan said.
"That no one died or is sick is just dumb luck," Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said. "What if your children's principal had done the same thing with your child's lunch? The potential liability to the state if anyone got sick, or worse, is massive, not to mention the human rights aspect of knowingly feeding prisoners contaminated food." Since mid-June, 37 people in 11 states, 20 of them in Colorado, have become ill after eating ConAgra meat contaminated with E. coli. Morgan said that as a result of The Post's inquiry, the Department of Corrections will issue a written policy mandating the return of all food products subject to recall. Corrections officials have
previously returned meat subject to a recall, although there was no written policy to do so, records show.
Posted: 6:20 a.m. MDT July 26, 2002
BUENA VISTA, Colo. -- Hundreds of inmates at a Colorado prison were served meat loaf that prison officials knew was made with ConAgra beef recalled because of E. coli contamination, The Denver Post reported Friday. In all,
about 2,500 pounds of recalled ground beef was fed to inmates at Buena Vista Correctional Complex and two other state prisons since June 5. But only those at Buena Vista were knowingly served the meat, at lunch on Saturday, the
Colorado Department of Corrections confirmed Thursday. Inmates at the Buena Vista facility told prison officials that they found recalled meat in a kitchen freezer Saturday. Buena Vista Warden Tony Reid ordered the ground
beef cooked and served. Corrections supervisors did not learn of the problem until they were contacted by The Post. Reid could not be reached for comment.
No disciplinary review was expected, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Alison Morgan said. "The decision to cook it was because they could prepare the meat safely," she said. "We've been using (the meat) since June 5 and had no incidents because we meet health department standards that say any beef product must be cooked in excess of 160 degrees, and we thoroughly check our
meat." The meat was recalled June 30 because of E. coli contamination. The recall became the second largest in U.S. history when the company on July 19 expanded it to 18.6 million pounds. "It clearly was an erroneous decision to
serve the recalled beef," said Dan Hopkins, spokesman for Gov. Bill Owens.
"The executive director of corrections has assured the governor's office that such lapses will not occur in the future." It is unclear how many prisoners ate the meat, Morgan said, but about 850 of the 1,230 inmates there show up for lunch each day. Some of the 150 guards on duty may have eaten the meal too, she said. The other prisons that fed recalled beef to inmates were Delta Correctional Center and Rifle Correctional Center, Morgan said. Since June 5, inmates consumed nearly half the 5,180 pounds of ground beef, Morgan said.
"That no one died or is sick is just dumb luck," Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said. "What if your children's principal had done the same thing with your child's lunch? The potential liability to the state if anyone got sick, or worse, is massive, not to mention the human rights aspect of knowingly feeding prisoners contaminated food." Since mid-June, 37 people in 11 states, 20 of them in Colorado, have become ill after eating ConAgra meat contaminated with E. coli. Morgan said that as a result of The Post's inquiry, the Department of Corrections will issue a written policy mandating the return of all food products subject to recall. Corrections officials have
previously returned meat subject to a recall, although there was no written policy to do so, records show.