Sara Lee; Firm to Stop Destroying Recalled Meats - Chicago Tribune - January 14, 1999

Chicago Tribune
January 14, 1999

Sara Lee Corp. says it will hold on to 4 million pounds of recalled hot dogs and other meat products until a sample of the possibly contaminated meat can be pulled for testing by experts hired by the Chicago attorney who is suing the company over the meat.

Under an agreement reached late Tuesday by Sara Lee's attorneys and plaintiff's attorney Kenneth Moll, the company has stopped destroying meats and won't resume the process until the two sides can agree which products will be tested.

Chicago-based Sara Lee had been disposing of recovered meats, as required by federal regulations, since its Bil Mar Foods unit announced the recall of more than 300 varieties of meats Dec. 22 after a deadly bacteria outbreak was traced to its meat-processing plant in Zeeland, Mich.

So far, the contaminated meat reportedly has caused eight deaths and 50 illnesses.