Commissary officials sensitive to beef

NEWS RELEASE Defense Commissary Agency Office of Corporate Communications 1300 E Avenue Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800 Tel: (804) 734 8061 DSN: 687-8061 FAX: (804) 734-8248 DSN: 687-8248 www. commissaries. com

Release Number: 82-03 Date: December 30, 2003 Contact: Flo Dunn, Media Relations Tel.: (804) 734-8768 E-mail: florence. dunn@ deca. mil

Commissary officials sensitive to beef concerns By Bonnie Powell, bonnie. powell@ deca. mil

FORT LEE, Va. – Officials at the Defense Commissary Agency are closely monitoring the ever-changing situation involving a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow" disease, identified Dec. 23 in a single cow in Washington state. Since Dec. 23 the U. S. Department of Agriculture has conducted a limited recall of 10,000 pounds of beef that may originate from the infected cow and from cows slaughtered at the same time and location. "No beef in any of our 275 commissaries worldwide has been involved in a USDA recall," said Col. Mark Wolken, chief of public health, safety and security for DeCA. "The USDA has stated that the U. S. beef supply is safe and that the beef recall resulted from an abundance of caution, not fear that the meat is infected. Should the USDA make a determination that there is a danger, DeCA would be first to react to protect the health of our customers," he said. Since the first U. S. case of BSE was identified Dec. 23, commissary customers have raised questions about the safety of beef purchased at their local commissary. Questions range from "should I return the ground beef I bought last week?" to "has my commissary received meat from the infected cow?" The answer to both questions is "no" said Wolken, an Army veterinarian. "As is always the case, customers who wish to return commissary products for a full refund may do so without question. The brain, spinal cord, and lower intestine – where the protein or 'prion' that is believed to cause BSE is found – is not generally used in food consumed by Americans. Those parts were removed from the infected cow before any of it could enter the meat supply." USDA investigators have determined that the recalled meat went to a few commercial markets in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana and Guam as well as Washington state, Oregon, California and Nevada. "No commissaries received any of those shipments," Wolken emphasized. "But I can certainly understand customers having concerns and questions. We're all affected by this – we're all concerned." Mad cow is a fatal disease that destroys the brains of the infected animal. It is caused in cattle by misshapen proteins called prions and is thought to be spread from animal to animal through contaminated feed. A rare form of the disease in humans known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease has been linked to the consumption of contaminated beef products. The approximately 140 deaths linked to "mad cow" since the mid-90s have mainly been in Britain. For the latest developments on the current situation as well as for links to the USDA and other information on recalls and food safety, commissary customers should check the food safety link at http:// www. commissaries. com. -DeCA -

The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of nearly 280 commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Authorized patrons purchase items at cost plus a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. Shoppers save an average of 32 percent or more on their purchases compared to commercial prices – savings worth about $2,700 annually for a family of four. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.

Since Dec. 23 the U.S. Department of Agriculture has conducted a limited recall of 10,000 pounds of beef that may originate from the infected cow and from cows slaughtered at the same time and location.

“No beef in any of our 275 commissaries worldwide has been involved in a USDA recall,” said Col. Mark Wolken, chief of public health, safety and security for DeCA. “The USDA has stated that the U.S. beef supply is safe and that the beef recall resulted from an abundance of caution, not fear that the meat is infected. Should the USDA make a determination that there is a danger, DeCA would be first to react to protect the health of our customers,” he said.

Since the first U.S. case of BSE was identified Dec. 23, commissary customers have raised questions about the safety of beef purchased at their local commissary. Questions range from “should I return the ground beef I bought last week?” to “has my commissary received meat from the infected cow?”

The answer to both questions is “no” said Wolken, an Army veterinarian. “As is always the case, customers who wish to return commissary products for a full refund may do so without question. The brain, spinal cord, and lower intestine – where the protein or ‘prion’ that is believed to cause BSE is found – is not generally used in food consumed by Americans. Those beef concerns – 2-2-2-2 parts were removed from the infected cow before any of it could enter the meat supply.”

USDA investigators have determined that the recalled meat went to a few commercial markets in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana and Guam as well as Washington state, Oregon, California and Nevada. “No commissaries received any of those shipments,” Wolken emphasized. “But I can certainly understand customers having concerns and questions. We’re all affected by this – we’re all concerned.”

Mad cow is a fatal disease that destroys the brains of the infected animal. It is caused in cattle by misshapen proteins called prions and is thought to be spread from animal to animal through contaminated feed. A rare form of the disease in humans known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease has been linked to the consumption of contaminated beef products. The approximately 140 deaths linked to “mad cow” since the mid-90s have mainly been in Britain.

For the latest developments on the current situation as well as for links to the USDA and other information on recalls and food safety, commissary customers should check the food safety link at
http://www.commissaries.com.

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