ROGERS, Ark - Hudson Foods Inc said over the weekend that it was disappointed to learn of a decision by fast-food hamburger chain Burger King no longer to buy raw ground beef from Hudson's Columbus, Nebraska plant.
No one was immediately available from Burger King to confirm the decision. Burger King is a subsidiary of British company Grand Metropolitan
Hudson's statement came after the government forced the meats producer to close a Nebraska plant and recall a record 25 million pounds of beef in the form of frozen hamburger patties.
"The decision by Burger King to no longer buy raw ground beef from our Columbus, Nebraska plant is a serious disappointment," Hudson said in a statement.
"Burger King has accounted for the major portion of raw ground beef sales from the Columbus plant."
Hudson also said that while it was "reviewing all our options for that plant," the company remained convinced that tainted beef was brought there from an outside supplier.
The U.S. Agriculture Department ordered the recall to guard against the consumption of beef tainted by E. coli, a virulent strain of bacteria that can enter meat and other foods from animal feces.
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