Is Your Local Grocery Store Selling Tainted Meat?

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It will soon get a lot easier to tell if you're at risk for buying meat products involved in a government recall.

The USDA will begin listing retail stores receiving meat and poultry products involved in Class I recalls — those of the most serious concern to public health — instead of just providing package codes and expiration dates, as it does now. This way, consumers can easily identify if meat they have already purchased might be involved in a recall.

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, who made the announcement, said in a statement: "The identity of retail stores with recalled meat and poultry from their suppliers has always been a missing piece of information for the public during a recall. People want to know if they need to be on the lookout for recalled meat and poultry from their local store and by providing lists of retail outlets during recalls, USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service will improve public health protection by better informing consumers."

The list will be available on the USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) website. It will include supermarkets or other grocery stores, convenience stores, meat markets, wholesale clubs and supercenters. FSIS will not identify distribution centers, institutions or restaurants, since they prepare food for immediate consumption without packaging that is identifiable or available to consumers.

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