Before you fire up the grill and celebrate Father's Day with dad's favorite -- a big, juicy steak -- read this unfortunate news: a whopping 4,000 pounds of beef has been recalled in Missouri because of possible mad cow disease. Find out everything you need to know about this scary recall so you can keep your family safe.
Fruitland American Meat announced the recall after discovering a clerical error may have resulted in several cattle not having a portion of their nervous system called the dorsal root ganglia removed. This nervous tissue contains mad cow disease and is supposed to be fully removed from cattle that are 30 months and older.
Basically, poor paperwork is to blame here.
But, let's look on the bright side: the company discovered its error before anyone was actually affected by it -- so far, no one has reported falling ill from the beef.
The recall includes bone-in "Rain Crow Ranch Ribeye" that have the establishment number "EST. 2316" and were produced and packaged between September 2010 and April 2014. It also affects beef carcasses stamped with the USDA mark of inspection and establishment number "EST. 2316."
These meats were distributed to a Whole Foods distribution center in Connecticut, which serves stores in New England, as well as a restaurant in New York and one in Kansas City, Mo. The USDA hasn't revealed the names of the eateries, but vows they have been warned to chuck the questionable meat.
More from The Stir: Major Ground Beef Recall: What You Need to Know
This has been classified as a Class II recall -- which means there is a remote possibility that the beef could cause mad cow diease, but that it is, of course, better to err on the side of caution. Mad cow symptoms include depression and dementia, but the disease is often difficult to diagnose. It can be fatal and customers are being warned to destroy beef affected by this recall.
If you have questions about the recall, call 573-243-3107.
Does this recall make you think twice about eating beef?
Image via Jason Pope/Flickr