As consumers, parents, and citizens, we at Let’s Dish! were all alarmed by the recent beef recall. Our immediate action was to contact our suppliers to verify that Let’s Dish! product was unaffected by this scare. Indeed, the plants from which we source our beef are nowhere near the problem facilities - either in terms of geography or in terms of practice. On February 19th, we sent the following message to all customers whose email addresses we had on file:

We want to reassure our customers that the recent beef recall does not affect any of the meats on any Let’s Dish! menu - current, past or future. There is no reason to be concerned about dishes you have already consumed, or any that may currently be in your freezer. Customer safety is the #1 priority at Let’s Dish!. We will continue to be vigilant in selecting ingredients from only the highest-quality, most-reputable sources so that your family can enjoy Let’s Dish! meals with confidence.

Please rest assured that we hold all our suppliers (beef, poultry, seafood - even plastic bags and disinfectant!) to the highest standards. In the unlikely event that we have any reason to doubt the safety of our food supply, we will move quickly to alert our customers. Thankfully, we have never been in such a position and have every confidence that this will remain the case.

Some of you may want further detail about where Let’s Dish! sources our beef. We are happy to provide that information below. But again, let us be clear: the meats we get from our vendors and use in our recipes are not affected in any way by the recent beef recall.   We have never purchased any beef product at all from the company involved in this recall, Westland/Hallmark.

 Beef Sourcing

The facility involved in the recall making news this week is a “downer” plant in California. Typically, dairy farmers who have cows that no longer produce milk will sell their cows to these types of plants. The cows are often at the end of their lifespan, and may be sick or injured when they are sent for processing. Their meat is generally believed to be of substandard quality and is usually used for processed foods. The US Government will purchase this meat to use in public school lunch programs or processed meals for military consumption. Clearly, meat from “downer” plants is not consistent with the Let’s Dish! philosophy or standard for quality. We have never purchased from this type of facility and have no intention of changing our practice.

Where do we get our beef?

Since the recall is happening right now, some of you may be wondering about the beef on our current menu. I’d like to give you a bit more information about that:

• The stir fry strips on our menu this month come from Fells Point Meats, and originate in Greeley, Colorado. The facility that produces this beef uses only “steer” meat, coming from male cows that were bred and raised for the purpose of consumption. By law, a USDA inspector must be on site whenever production is going on.
• Our ground beef is purchased from American Foods Group and originates in Green Bay, Wisconsin. American Foods Group is one of the largest meat packers in the country and its ground beef plants are similar to the Fells Point Meats plants I just described, though on a larger scale (as they are much larger and their products are distributed around the country). Again, by law, a USDA inspector is on site at all times when production is going on.

Please rest assured that if Let’s Dish! product were ever affected by any type of recall, beef or any other product, we would alert customers as soon as we knew about it, which in most cases, would be long before any danger was publicized in the media.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us or add a comment to this post on Food for Thought, our blog.

 NOTE:  We sent our notice to all customers within the last two years, but as some may have changed their communication settings, please feel free to use the  Email This Post tool at the top of this post to send this message to a friend.
 
    
This statement is made on behalf the Let’s Dish! locations in Maryland and Alexandria, Ashburn, Fairfax and Leesburg, VA, which are owned and operated independently by Slate LD, LLC.