Turkey Contamination Recurs

Just more than a month after recalling 36 million pounds of ground turkey due to a salmonella outbreak, food manufacturer Cargill was forced to suspend production and issue a second recall this week after more traces of the deadly bacteria were found in meat from the same Arkansas plants. The new recall covers about 185,000 pounds of product. The outbreak that led to the previous recall, which was issued on August 3, sickened 107 people in 31 states, and killed one. Cargill spokesperson Mike Martin said that after the first recall, equipment was disassembled and steam-cleaned, and two antibacterial washes were added to the processing line in what he called “the most advanced sampling and monitoring system in the poultry industry.” However, a sample taken on August 24 tested positive for the same strain of salmonella found last month.