f/u on possible bird flu contaminated meat

Saturday, July 15, 2006

No signs of avian flu found at 36 eateries

Paul Egan / The Detroit News

County health officials completed inspections Friday at all 36 Michigan restaurants known to be supplied by a Troy warehouse that is under federal investigation. They found no signs of poultry suspected to be contaminated with avian flu, a state official said.

Monitoring will continue and federal charges against the owner of the warehouse are possible, said Bridget Beckman, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

The state Thursday suspended the license of the warehouse, which was shut down Friday.

State and federal officials recently seized and destroyed thousands of pounds of poultry and other food products from Asia Food Service Inc.

The business is suspected of illegally importing frozen poultry from China in violation of a ban imposed due to avian flu concerns. No tests of the food were conducted, so officials do not know whether it was contaminated.

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