Huntington Meat Packing Incorporated has expanded the recall of beef products that was announced on January 18th. The original recall was approximately 864,000 pounds, with approximately 4.9 million pounds of beef and veal products added today. They also wanted to correct net weights from 40 lbs., to 50 lbs. in five instances in the earlier release. The recall is due to concerns of E. coli O157:H7 contamination.

The problem was discovered during a Food Safety Assessment (FSA) by FSIS personnel. The FSA led to the determination that a further investigation of establishment records was warranted. The investigation is ongoing and the following products are subject to recall.

The recall was expanded based on evidence collected in an ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) with assistance from FSIS. This evidence shows that the products subject to this recall expansion were produced in a manner that did not follow the establishment's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. A HACCP plan describes the process controls an establishment must take to prevent food safety hazards and create a safe and wholesome product. The investigation has uncovered evidence to show that the food safety records of the establishment cannot be relied upon to document compliance with the requirements. Therefore, FSIS must consider the products to be adulterated and has acted to remove the products from commerce.

The following beef and veal products, produced by the plant from January 22, 2009, to January 4, 2010, are subject to recall:

• 10 lb. boxes of "IMPERIAL MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTY"
• 10 lb. boxes of "El Rancho MEAT & PROVISION ALL BEEF PATTIES"
• 20 lb. boxes of "IMPERIAL MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTY"
• 50 lb. boxes of "HUNTINGTON MEATS GROUND BEEF"
• 50 lb. boxes of " HUNTINGTON MEAT PKG. INC. BEEF GROUND FOR FURTHER PROCESSING"
• 50 lb. boxes of "BEEF BURRITO FILLING MIX"
• 50 lb. boxes of "HUNTINGTON MEAT PKG. INC. DICED BEEF"
• 50 lb. boxes of "HUNTINGTON MEAT PKG. INC. SLICED BEEF"
• 10 lb. boxes of "Huntington Meat VEAL PATTY"
• 10 lb. boxes of "Imperial Meat VEAL PATTY"
• 10 lb. boxes of "El Rancho VEAL PATTY"
• 20 lb. boxes of "Huntington Meat VEAL PATTY"
• 20 lb. boxes of "Imperial Meat VEAL PATTY"
• 20 lb. boxes of "El Rancho VEAL PATTY"

Each box bears the establishment number "EST. 17967" inside the USDA mark of inspection on a label. The products were produced between January 22, 2009, and January 4, 2010, and were shipped to distribution centers, restaurants, and hotels within the State of California.