An Omaha meatpacker involved in two beef recalls this summer continued to operate Monday with increased testing for food safety, a spokesman said Monday.
No E. coli bacteria have been found in products made since July 8, said William Lamson Jr., a spokesman for privately owned Nebraska Beef.
The company, established in 1995, employs about 800 people and slaughters about 2,000 head of cattle a day.
Late Friday, Nebraska Beef recalled 1.2 million pounds of steaks, roasts and other cuts of beef produced June 17, June 24 and July 8 because of possible contamination with potentially deadly E. coli O157:H7.
Federal officials said the beef, which might have sickened 31 people in 12 states and Canada, had a different strain of E. coli from that found in an earlier recall this summer and was processed in another part of the Nebraska Beef plant.
Nebraska Beef has increased its testing of products and has hired a consultant to review its food safety procedures, Lamson said Monday. "I know it's been a big issue."
Federal inspectors have increased their scrutiny of the plant, said Laura Reiser, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Source: Omaha World-Herald