Topps Closes Its Doors for Good in Wake of Meat Recall

On Friday, October 5th, it was announced by Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, founded in 1940, that due to its recent massive recall of over 21 million pounds of hamburger beef patties that might be contaminated with e. coli bacteria, it is no longer able to keep its doors open for and as of the end of today is going out of business.

A few of Topps' 87 employees will remain at the Elizabeth plant for an indefinite time to assist the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its ongoing investigation into the contamination of the beef and to handle administrative matters such as ensuring the effectiveness of the recall.

"This is tragic for all concerned. In one week we have gone from the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers to a company that cannot overcome the economic reality of a recall this large. We sincerely regret the impact this will have on our employees, our customers and suppliers, and the community...Topps has always prided itself on providing the utmost quality and safety and never had a recall in our history until now. This has been a shocking and sobering experience for everyone," said Anthony D'Urso, Chief Operating Officer.

So far, 28 people in eight states have become sick from eating the hamburger. Most of these people live in the Northeast of the United States.

After first issuing a recall on 331,000 pounds of its frozen hamburger patties, Topps had to expand the recall to the business-ruining 21.7 million pounds, which makes this the third largest beef recall in United States history.

The USDA waited 18 days after learning of the magnitude of the probable infection before it issued its statement saying a recall was necessary. The sluggish response is already raising serious questions about the efficacy of the USDA.

E-mail documents reveal that federal tests showed the presence of the e. coli bacteria in Topps' meat as early as September 7th, and yet a recall was not first issued until September 25th, by which time eight people had already reported getting sick from eating the meat.