'Mad Cow Scare' Results in Beef Recall at Mystery New York Restaurant

On Wednesday, the Jackson, Mo., company Fruitland American Meat recalled some 4,000 pounds of beef that were distributed by two restaurants and a grocery chain, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Health officials said they believe that the meat may contain properties related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), otherwise known as mad cow disease. BSE can result in fatal human brain disease with the consumption of infected meat products. The disease is also known to be fatal to cows, according to the USDA.

The beef was produced between September 2013 and April 2014 and distributed to a restaurant in New York, NY, as well as another in Kansas City, Mo., and a Whole Foods distribution center in Connecticut, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Slaughter logs revealed that some of the cattle may not have been in compliance with USDA regulations that require full removal of the dorsal root ganglia in cattle 30 months or older.  Yet this issue could have also been a result of the way some company employees were recording the age of the cattle, according to a news release.

The dorsal root ganglia is labeled by the service as specific risk material (SRM). 

"SRMs are tissues that may contain the infective agent in cattle infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), as well as materials that are closely associated with these potentially infective tissues," said the USDA, according to the news release. 

At this time, no reports of adverse reactions from eating the beef have been noted.

The agency characterized the recall as a Class II recall, stating that there is a "remote probability" of health issues associated with using the recalled product. 

According to the AP, the recalled products include: quartered beef carcasses stamped with the USDA mark of inspection and establishment number "EST. 2316," and 80-lb. cases containing two cryovac packages of bone-in "Rain Crow Ranch Ribeye" bearing the establishment number "EST. 2316" inside the USDA mark of inspection with the following production dates printed on the box: 9/5/13, 9/10/13, 9/11/13, 9/26/13, 10/2/13, 10/3/2013, 11/8/13, 11/22/13, 12/17/13, 12/26/13, 12/27/13,1/16/14, 1/17/14, 1/23/14, 1/31/14, 2/13/14, 2/14/14, 2/21/14, 2/28/14, 3/8/14, 3/20/14, 4/4/14 or 4/25/14.