ROGERS, Ark. - Hudson Foods Inc. confirmed it had received a subpoena from a federal grand jury investigating its recall of nearly 25 million pounds of hamburger meat for possible contamination with a deadly bacteria.
Hudson Foods was forced to shut down its processing plant in Columbus, Neb., in August after health officials linked beef from the plant to 16 cases of illness from the E. coli bacteria in Colorado last July.
"The company has received a subpoena for documents, and it is anticipated that some employees may be asked to give testimony," Hudson Foods said in a statement.
U.S. Attorney for Nebraska Tom Monaghan said a "vigorous investigation" of the company was underway, but would not elaborate on the nature of the inquiry.
Monaghan said in a statement his office had received a criminal referral from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's inspector general regarding events surrounding the recall.
Hudson Foods initially recalled 20,000 pounds of meat, but increased that figure to 25 million pounds -- the largest beef recall in the nation's history -- at the insistence of the Department of Agriculture.
E. coli, which can cause fatal food poisoning, lives naturally in the intestines of cattle and can infect beef during production and processing or at any stage of handling.
Subsequent to the E. coli scare, meatpacking giant IBP Inc. agreed to buy the processing plant from Hudson Foods. The acquisition was completed Thursday, IBP said.
The new owner plans to restart the still-idled plant next week with limited production.
Hudson Foods, which exited the raw hamburger meat business with the sale of its Columbus plant, agreed last month to be acquired by Tyson Foods Inc., the largest U.S. chicken processor.
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