Rancho Meat Recall Roundup: Cows with Cancer and a Criminal Investigation

In what started out in January as a recall of 40,000 pounds of meat that was processed without the full USDA inspection process has spiraled into a massive 9-million-pound meat recall and a criminal investigation after it was discovered that cows with cancer may have been secretly slaughtered for food.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Rancho Feeding Corp., a California-based slaughter plant, is now facing a federal criminal investigation for “allegedly buying up cows with eye cancer, chopping off their heads so inspectors couldn’t detect the disease and illegally selling the meat.”

The massive recall — 9 million pounds of potentially diseased meat — started on Feb. 8 and has impacted food processors (including Nestle’s Hot Pockets) and consumers on a nationwide scale.

The facility has since voluntarily ceased operations and was recently sold to Marin Sun Farms, a company that reportedly contracted with Rancho prior to the recall.

Want to know how you can be sure to avoid eating diseased meat? It’s simple: choose the vegetarian versions of your favorite foods — from veggie burgers to meatless hotdogs to chicken-free chicken strips, and more!  Start today at TryVeg.com.