MORE DANGEROUS SLOPPINESS FROM SWIFT

If you've been keeping up with Meat Facts for a while, you may remember the big 2002 ConAgra recall of millions of pounds of E.Coli-tainted beef, during which dozens of people in multiple states were sickened, including an Ohio woman who died from the illness. The main ConAgra plant in Greeley is now "Swift," and by whatever name it appears the company hasn't changed its stripes: Japan Halts Beef From 1 U.S. Meatpacker, reports CBS News (apparently having dropped the "#" symbol from before the "1" in the headline).

The Agriculture and Health ministries decided to halt shipments from Swift and Company's plant in Greeley, Colorado after a shipment from the facility arrived in Osaka without proper documentation for some of the internal organs contained within, Agriculture Ministry official Yasushi Yamaguchi said.

The Japanese government has asked the U.S. government to investigate the mishap and outline measures to prevent a recurrence, Yamaguchi said. After receiving a report from the U.S. side, the Japanese will send a delegation to the Greeley plant to review whether it is following rules for export to Japan before allowing trade to resume.

"We are very concerned about what appears to be a simple error because it comes so soon after Japan lifted its import ban," Yamaguchi said.

America's meatpackers are used to the backslapping "oversight" of our industry-stacked USDA. Their arrogance about BSE up to 2003 has already damaged US trade to the tune of millions in exports, and this shows that even after that fiasco they haven't learned their lesson.

And, lest this point needs to be underscored - These are the people we're trusting to keep our own food safe?