Topps Meat Company
| Industry | Meat processing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1940 in Manhattan, New York |
| Founder | Benjamin Sachs |
| Defunct | October 5, 2007 |
| Fate | Ceased operations following Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak |
| Headquarters | Elizabeth, New Jersey |
| Parent | Strategic Investment and Holdings (2003-2007) |
| Website | toppsmeat.com at the WayBack Machine (archived August 16, 2006) |
The Topps Meat Company, LLC was a privately-owned meat processing company based in Elizabeth, New Jersey.[1][2][3] The company produced and distributed frozen ground beef patties and other meat products processed at its 3,000-square-foot (280 m2) plant in Elizabeth and posted about $8.8 million a year in sales, according to information reported by Dun & Bradstreet.[2][4]
In 2007, the Topps Meat Company's products were linked to an outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) infections and, on October 5 of that year, the company ceased operations.[5][6][7]
History
The Topps Meat Company was founded in Manhattan, New York by Benjamin Sachs in 1940. He would later sell the company to his son, Steven Sachs. Prior to relocating to New Jersey, Joseph D’Urso became vice president of the company.[1]
In 2003, the company was purchased by Strategic Investment and Holdings, an investment firm based in Buffalo, New York, following the death of D'Urso.[1][3]
Prior to the 2007 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak Topps Meat was implicated in, an inspection report by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2005 discovered that the company had received processed meat contaminated with the bacteria, which they began to process before being notified of the contamination. The same year, the company settled a $1.7 million lawsuit with a maintenance worker whose arm was amputated by an industrial processor and was sued by a 9-year-old girl who claimed to have fallen ill after eating a hamburger made by the company.[1]
Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak and closure
The first reported case of illness linked to E. coli O157:H7 contamination occurred on July 5, 2007.[1] The first positive test results for E. coli contamination of Topps' products were returned on September 7, 2007, but the USDA waited to confirm the tests before ordering a recall 18 days later, a decision that was met with criticism.[1][8]
In September 2007, Topps Meat Company ultimately recalled 21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beef products due to Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination concerns. Product samples subsequently tested positive for contamination with E. coli.
On October 4, 2007, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Topps Meat over the contaminated meat and its consequences.[9] The same day, the USDA served Topps Meat with a "notice of intended enforcement" after discovering "inadequate process controls" in the company’s non-ground beef production processes.[1] On October 5, 2007, Topps Meat ceased operations; 77 workers were laid off while about 10 others remained employed to assist the USDA's investigation.[10]
A total of 40 people in eight states fell ill after consuming hamburgers made by Topps Meat Co.[11] At the time, the recalls of Topps' products were the second-largest beef recall in United States history, after Hudson Foods Company's recall of 25 million pounds of ground beef in 1997.[1][10]
See also
Sources and notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Belson, Ken; Fahim, Kareem (October 6, 2007). "After Extensive Beef Recall, Topps Goes Out of Business". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
- ^ a b "About Topps". Topps Meat. Archived from the original on June 6, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
- ^ a b Belson, Ken; Fahim, Kareem (October 5, 2007). "Meat Company Going Out of Business After Recall". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
- ^ "Potentially Deadly Threat Led To Recall". NJBIZ. October 8, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ Belson, Ken; Fahim, Kareem (2007-10-06). "After Extensive Beef Recall, Topps Goes Out of Business". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
- ^ "Topps Meat closes 6 days after huge recall". ABC News. October 6, 2007. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ "Topps Meat shuts down after recall". CNN Money. CNN. October 5, 2007. Archived from the original on November 27, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Yen, Hope; Gold, Jeffrey (October 5, 2007). "USDA Defends 18-Day Wait on Beef Recall". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ Fahim, Kareem (October 4, 2007). "Class action lawsuit filed against producer of beef". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ a b Perone, Joseph R. (October 5, 2007). "Topps Meat Co. folds after beef recall". NJ.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ "Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157 Infections Linked to Topp's Brand Ground Beef Patties". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 26, 2007. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2025 – via CDC Archive.