WASHINGTON - Huntington Meat Packing Inc., Montebello, Calif., expanded its Class I recall of Jan. 18 to include approximately 4.9 million additional lbs. of beef and veal products that were not produced in accordance with the company's food-safety plan, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

F.S.I.S. relayed the products are adulterated because the company made the products under insanitary conditions failing to take the steps it had determined were necessary to produce safe products. However, F.S.I.S. has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

Based on evidence collected in an ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by the Office of the Inspector General with assistance from F.S.I.S., it was decided to expand the recall. This evidence shows the products subject to this recall expansion were produced in a manner that did not follow the establishment's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (H.A.C.C.P.) plan.

The investigation has uncovered evidence showing the food-safety records of the establishment cannot be relied upon to document compliance with the H.A.C.C.P. requirements, according to F.S.I.S. Therefore, the agency must consider the products to be adulterated and has acted to remove the products from commerce.

Certain beef and veal products, produced by the plant from Jan. 22, 2009, to Jan. 4, 2010, are subject to recall. Each box bears the establishment number "EST. 17967" inside the U.S.D.A. mark of inspection on a label. The products were shipped to distribution centers, restaurants and hotels within the state of California.

F.S.I.S. routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers (including restaurants) of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. F.S.I.S. advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef or ground beef patties that have been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. The only way to be sure ground beef is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature.