Wis. firm recalls beef tongues

A Wisconsin meat company has recalled about 99 pounds of beef tongue products from cattle that may not have had their tonsils fully removed, a U.S. agency says. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a release posted on its website Friday the problem was found at Black Earth Meat Market Inc. of Black Earth. The affected products are various size cases of Black Earth Meats Natural Beef Tongues and Black Earth Meats Local Beef Tongues produced on Oct. 8, 11, 17 and 18. The products bear Est. 34379 inside the USDA mark of inspection and were distributed to a restaurant in Wisconsin and a distributor in Illinois. Tonsils are considered a specified risk material and must be removed from cattle of all ages under federal regulations to guard against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. There is no indication any of the cattle slaughtered displayed any signs of BSE, the Agriculture Department said.