Hallmark Meat Story: Curiouser and Curiouser

Steve Mendell, the President of Hallmark/Westland Meat Company, testified today – under subpoena – before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that is looking into "downer cow" debacle.

In his written testimony, Mendell admitted that the cows seen in the Humane Society undercover video were not treated humanely. But he said that these cows were euthanized, rather than slaughtered. An Associated Press report published on Yahoo News quotes Mendell as saying that the downer cows "...were not slaughtered, ground or sold. They were euthanized and removed."

According to the AP report, Mendell also stated in his written testimony that

"While these cows should be treated humanely and they were not, these cows were not harvested and they did not enter the food supply."

So, if Mendell is being truthful with the House Sub-Committee, why did the company recall 143 million pounds of beef?