Yes, dear readers, this is the same Cargill meatpacker that paid Somali workers $1.5 million over an Islamic prayer break dispute (reported here just last week!).
Here is the story at the Denver Post:
Cargill Meat Solutions of Fort Morgan is recalling 66.3 tons of ground beef products following an outbreak of one death and 17 illnesses that were reported due to E. coli contamination.
[….]
Food investigators determined that everyone sickened had purchased raw meat at grocery stores supplied by Cargill, Machuca said.
The identity of the deceased person has not been released.
[….]
In a statement on Thursday, Cargill said all of the affected products have been removed from supermarkets. Food safety teams are reviewing the Fort Morgan facility and others “to ensure we continue to deliver safe food,” the statement said.
“We were distressed to learn a fatality may be related to an E.coli contamination of one of our products,” it said. “Our hearts go out to the families and individuals affected by this issue.”
A little more here for those of you who might want to check the meat you bought earlier this summer that might still be in your freezer.
A personal note:
In the summer of 2016, I visited Ft. Morgan to see what the situation was there relating to the influx of Somali refugee workers for Cargill.
I haven’t bought beef since, and here is why.
I’m an animal lover, and we raised beef cattle for 20 years. We loved our cattle and treated them humanely, but they did become someone’s dinner. However, when I saw the miles and miles of feedlots with thousands of beef cattle standing in those hot feedlots going in to Ft. Morgan I was appalled. No cover from the summer sun and waiting to be slaughtered by Cargill, I was finished.
If you love eating beef, find a reputable producer near where you live and buy directly from that farmer or rancher.
The meatpackers are changing America with their desire for cheap immigrant labor, don’t send them your money!