COMPANY RECALLS BEEF IN WAKE OF E. COLI OUTBREAK : (ADVISORY).

Byline: Heather Dewar and David Goldstein Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

The largest meat recall in U.S. history began Thursday as the beef company linked to the latest outbreak of E. coli-tainted hamburgers agreed to pull off the market and destroy 25 million pounds of ground beef.

Under intense pressure from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hudson Foods Co. also agreed Thursday to shut down its plant in Columbus, Neb., and not reopen it until the company erases all the government's doubts that its processes are safe.

The ground beef being recalled was processed in June and some may already have been eaten. But because it's in the form of frozen patties, USDA officials believe much of it may still be stored by wholesalers, distributors, grocers and restaurants around the country.

A smaller amount of Hudson's beef was recalled last week.

About 20 people in Colorado got sick from the potentially deadly E. coli bacteria starting in June. No one has been reported sick since mid-July.

The bacteria cause severe diarrhea, cramps and dehydration.

Three children died in a larger outbreak in the Pacific Northwest in 1993.

Federal food-safety experts still were trying to find the cause of the latest outbreak, which was traced to boxes of 4-ounce beef patties produced at Hudson's Nebraska plant. Officials now believe the beef was contaminated with fecal matter at one of Hudson's supplier slaughterhouses, and the contamination was spread during the grinding at the hamburger plant.

One of the difficulties, the USDA said, is that Hudson used meat left over from one day's grinding in the next day's work.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced the plant's shutdown, stressing that the company's action was voluntary, but came under threat of government retaliation. Glickman said USDA officials presented Hudson with a list of ``non-negotiable'' requirements.

``I am well aware that I do not have the authority to order these recommendations,'' Glickman said. ``But I do have the authority to withdraw inspectors. If necessary, I will do that to halt operations until I'm comfortable telling the American people that this food is safe.''

Without the federal inspectors' labels, the meat could not be sold in U.S. stores.

Thursday's recall highlighted weaknesses in the nation's meat safety system, which has not been significantly modernized since the 1930s. Though government inspectors look at meat as it passes through slaughterhouses and processing plants, there is no inspection for invisible and potentially dangerous bacteria, such as E. coli.

The quickest test for E. coli takes at least three days to complete, said microbiologist Hans Blaschek of the University of Illinois. By that time, potentially contaminated meat is far away, perhaps on consumers' dinner tables. And once an outbreak is discovered, the government cannot order a recall of tainted meat.

The USDA is phasing in a series of common-sense changes in its inspection system that should reduce contamination, but won't make it any easier to see it when it does occur. In the meantime, the government recommends that consumers cook meat until it registers 160 degrees. At that temperature, all the dangerous microbes are killed.

Blaschek said the USDA used to tell consumers to cook meat until it was brown in the middle, but recently the agency discovered that some disease microorganisms can still be present even if the meat looks thoroughly cooked. Checking each burger with a thermometer is the only way to be sure it's safe, the agency said.

``That's not something anybody I know is going to do,'' Blaschek said. He suggested consumers just use common sense and not worry too much, since E. coli contamination remains relatively rare.

The USDA estimates that E. coli and other food-borne bacteria cause an estimated 4,000 deaths and 5 million illnesses per year.

The E. coli bacteria are commonly found in human intestines.

Scientists discovered its toxic form in 1982, and the microorganism gained notoriety in a 1993 outbreak that began at a Seattle Jack-in-the-Box, sickening several hundred people and killing three children.

The bacteria produce a toxin that damages the colon, causing a painful bloody diarrhea. In severe cases, it can shut down the kidneys and destroy blood cells. It is rarely fatal, but children and the elderly are at greatest risk.

Consumer groups like Safe Tables Our Priority, which was formed by the victims of the 1993 outbreak, say many of these illnesses could be prevented if the government conducted more stringent inspections and tests, and if the USDA had the authority to shut down problem plants and recall suspect meat.

Southern California has not received the ground beef in question, according to Sharon Wanglin, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Health Department. She said the USDA would notify her agency should problems arise.

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