Topps Meat Company
Encyclopedia
Topps Meat Company was a privately owned family company founded in 1940 by Benjamin Sachs in Manhattan
, New York
. The company later relocated to Elizabeth, New Jersey
.
The company produced and distributed frozen ground beef patties and other meat products processed at its 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) plant in Elizabeth and posted about $8.8 million a year in sales, according to information reported by Dun & Bradstreet. In 2003, the company was purchased by Strategic Investment and Holdings, an investment firm based in Buffalo, New York
and by 2007 it was "one of the country’s largest manufacturers of frozen hamburgers." In 2007 the company ceased operations following Escherichia coli O157:H7
(E. coli) contamination of products and the ensuing recall.
products produced between September 25, 2006, and September 25, 2007, by the Topps Meat Company were recalled in September 2007 due to Escherichia coli O157:H7
contamination concerns. At the time, this was the second-largest beef recall in U.S. history, after Hudson Foods Company
's recall of 25 million pounds of ground beef in 1997.
Product samples subsequently tested positive for contamination with E. coli.
The first reported case of illness linked to the contamination occurred on July 5, 2007.
On October 4, 2007, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Topps Meat over the contaminated meat and its consequences.
Also on October 4, 2007, the USDA served Topps Meat with a "notice of intended enforcement" (which is a move just short of suspending the rest of the company’s meat production) because of "inadequate process controls" also in the company’s non-ground beef production processes. On October 5, 2007, Topps Meat ceased operations; 77 workers were laid off while about 10 others remained employed to assist the USDA's investigation.
"In one week we have gone from the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers to a company that cannot overcome the economic reality of a recall this large," Anthony D'Urso, chief operating officer, said in a statement.
USDA's first positive test results for E. coli contamination came back September 7, 2007, but they waited for confirming tests before ordering a recall 18 days later. Criticism of that 18-day delay in seeking the recall of millions of pounds of tainted Topps Meat ground beef caused the USDA to promise to speed up warnings about contaminated meat in the future.
As of October 7, 2007, 29 people in eight states had fallen ill after consuming hamburgers made by Topps Meat Co.
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The company later relocated to Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
.
The company produced and distributed frozen ground beef patties and other meat products processed at its 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) plant in Elizabeth and posted about $8.8 million a year in sales, according to information reported by Dun & Bradstreet. In 2003, the company was purchased by Strategic Investment and Holdings, an investment firm based in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and by 2007 it was "one of the country’s largest manufacturers of frozen hamburgers." In 2007 the company ceased operations following Escherichia coli O157:H7
Escherichia coli O157:H7
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an enterohemorrhagic strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli and a cause of foodborne illness. Infection often leads to hemorrhagic diarrhea, and occasionally to kidney failure, especially in young children and elderly persons...
(E. coli) contamination of products and the ensuing recall.
Ownership
According to the New York Times:- "Topps opened in 1940 in Manhattan. The founder, Benjamin Sachs, later sold the company to his son, Steven Sachs, according to Ann Sachs, the founder’s former daughter-in-law. A few years before the company moved to New Jersey, Joseph D’Urso became vice president. After Mr. D’Urso died in 2003, the company was bought by Strategic Investment and Holdings"
Timeline
- 1940 - Founded
- 2003 - Purchased by Strategic Investment and Holdings
- 2005
- 2007
- July 5 - first illness linked to recall
- July 8 - second illness case
- September 7 - USDA's first positive test results for E. coli contamination
- September 25 - initial recall of 331,582 pounds of frozen hamburger patties
- September 29 - with additional evidence of "inadequate sanitation and process controls" and 25 illnesses under investigation in eight states, the USDA expanded the recall to a total of 21.7 million pounds of Topps beef.
- October 4 - class-action lawsuit filed
Controversy
21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beefBeef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
products produced between September 25, 2006, and September 25, 2007, by the Topps Meat Company were recalled in September 2007 due to Escherichia coli O157:H7
Escherichia coli O157:H7
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an enterohemorrhagic strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli and a cause of foodborne illness. Infection often leads to hemorrhagic diarrhea, and occasionally to kidney failure, especially in young children and elderly persons...
contamination concerns. At the time, this was the second-largest beef recall in U.S. history, after Hudson Foods Company
Hudson Foods Company
Hudson Foods Company of Rogers, Arkansas, was a beef processor that was involved in what was then the largest recall of food in United States. The plant was in Columbus, Nebraska. The company recalled over 25 million pounds of ground beef. Tyson Foods bought Hudson Foods out in the 1990s.-Further...
's recall of 25 million pounds of ground beef in 1997.
Product samples subsequently tested positive for contamination with E. coli.
The first reported case of illness linked to the contamination occurred on July 5, 2007.
On October 4, 2007, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Topps Meat over the contaminated meat and its consequences.
Also on October 4, 2007, the USDA served Topps Meat with a "notice of intended enforcement" (which is a move just short of suspending the rest of the company’s meat production) because of "inadequate process controls" also in the company’s non-ground beef production processes. On October 5, 2007, Topps Meat ceased operations; 77 workers were laid off while about 10 others remained employed to assist the USDA's investigation.
"In one week we have gone from the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers to a company that cannot overcome the economic reality of a recall this large," Anthony D'Urso, chief operating officer, said in a statement.
USDA's first positive test results for E. coli contamination came back September 7, 2007, but they waited for confirming tests before ordering a recall 18 days later. Criticism of that 18-day delay in seeking the recall of millions of pounds of tainted Topps Meat ground beef caused the USDA to promise to speed up warnings about contaminated meat in the future.
As of October 7, 2007, 29 people in eight states had fallen ill after consuming hamburgers made by Topps Meat Co.
External links
- Topps Meat Company home page, from Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
copy as May 19, 2006