August 23, 2002

By David Migoya

Denver Post Staff Writer

dmigoya@denverpost.com

303-820-1506

To submit a Letter to the Editor: letters@denverpost.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating why its inspectors took nearly two weeks to tell ConAgra that the Greeley company's meat was suspected of having E. coli.

That delay meant grocers unknowingly continued selling tainted meat to customers. ConAgra Beef Co. issued a recall for 354,200 pounds of ground beef in June. The recall eventually grew to nearly 19 million pounds three weeks later.

Safeway stores, where several of 22 Coloradans had bought meat that sickened them, began a weeklong two-for-one ground beef sale on June 19. On the same day, the USDA knew ConAgra meat likely had E. coli.

The investigation by the Office of Inspector General, the independent policing arm of the USDA, will also evaluate the agency's voluntary recall system and how it affected ConAgra's meat callback.

Acting Inspector General Joyce Fleischman acknowledged the investigation in a letter Monday to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate's Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., a committee member.

The senators last month made one of several congressional requests for an investigation into the recall and the USDA's delay.

Investigators arrived in Colorado on Monday, officials said.

Calls to Fleischman's office were not immediately returned Thursday. A USDA spokesman called the investigation "an audit" but refused to elaborate.

A ConAgra spokesman could not confirm whether investigators had spoken with company officials.

The probe was applauded by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who also asked the USDA to investigate.

"I'm pleased that the inspector general will be looking into USDA's action," said Waxman, the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Government Reform.

"It is shocking that (two) months passed between the initial contamination and the full recall."

The investigation is focusing partly on a 13-day delay between the USDA's suspicions that ConAgra meat might be contaminated and when the recall was announced, according to Fleischman's letter.

USDA inspectors discovered E. coli during random tests May 9 at Galligan's Wholesale Meats in Denver. The USDA could not determine the source of the E. coli because Galligan's mixed ConAgra meat with beef from another supplier, a common industry practice.

Inspectors discovered the bacteria two more times June 17 and June 19 during subsequent tests, when Galligan's used only ConAgra meat.

But the USDA didn't tell ConAgra about the E. coli findings until June 29, when it found E. coli during two more tests. The recall was announced the following day.

The Denver Post revealed the USDA's delay on July 14.

The recall was expanded to 18.6 million pounds on July 19 after the USDA said that meat also had a high risk of being contaminated.

Only about 12,000 pounds of recalled meat has been recovered.

The USDA apologized for the delay, although it never explained why it occurred. The agency said it will notify suppliers such as ConAgra whenever meat is suspected of contamination, even if it is mixed with another company's beef.

The probe also will focus on the USDA's voluntary recall system, which consumer groups have criticized as too lenient. Members of Congress, including Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., have introduced legislation to revamp the system.

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