A somewhat unusual aspect to "cured" natural and organic processed meats is that nitrate and nitrite cannot be added as ingredients, because "preservatives" are not permitted in natural and organic foods. This has resulted in alternative meat-curing processes that utilize natural sources of nitrate, typically celery juice concentrate or powder.
Cardinal Meats experienced its first recall in 2007. The details surrounding the recall were typical for a burger processor: We unknowingly purchased boneless beef from a CFIA approved supplier – this meat was contaminated with E.coli O157:H7.
In recent years, the science of food safety has evolved from the continuous supply of safe food to encompass terminology such as food defense and food fraud.
The National Provisioner sits down with Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety, to assess the state of food safety in the meat- and poultry-processing industries.
JBS USA, held a press conference this afternoon to discuss details of its agreement with Canadian beef processor XL Foods, regarding the XL Lakeside facility in Brooks, Alberta, Canada.