USDA FOLLIES

This is bizarre. Early this afternoon, the USDA releases the information that a recall is coming "in relation to" the Northeastern listeria outbreak, but they're not going to tell us who the company is. Why not? I dunno. Maybe so they can sell that last little bit of contaminated meat first? OK, so that's odd. But then later in the afternoon, the recall is issued, for 150 tons of deli turkey from Pilgrim's Pride, and the USDA says this listeria-infected meat is "not related to" the big listeria outbreak! Note that careful wording: The recall was issued in relation to the outbreak, but is not related to the outbreak. That's because the USDA only noticed this contamination while looking for the real culprit, who's apparently still at large. Wacky, huh? And to think that while ConAgra stands to lose 50 million dollars from this summer's big adventure, the USDA - the agency that's supposed to protect us from self-serving profiteers - has yet to be punished in any way.