'Downer' cows entered food supply, company admits WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In his first public testimony since his company's product became the subject of the largest meat recall in U.S. history, the president of Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. acknowledged Wednesday that at least two "downer" cows depicted in hidden-camera videos appeared to have entered the U.S. food supply.
He previously had denied that any had gotten into the food supply.
Still, there was "less than a minute chance of that product being contaminated," Steve Mendell told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Wednesday was the latest in a string of hearings prompted by the company's voluntary recall on February 17 of 143 million pounds of beef -- representing the Chino, California, plant's output since February 1, 2006.
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