Tyson Foods Not Involved in Suspected BSE Finding in Washington State SPRINGDALE, Ark., Dec. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The report of a U.S. cow with BSE in the state of Washington does not involve Tyson Foods or any of its meat production facilities. We have confirmed no product from any of the three Washington plants identified by the USDA has been purchased by Tyson Foods' facilities or used in any products manufactured by Tyson Foods. As USDA Secretary Ann Veneman stated Tuesday, this case poses no risk to consumers because the BSE infectious agent is not found in beef muscle, such as steaks, roasts and ground beef. This is an animal disease challenge -- not a food safety problem. Tyson Foods' U.S. plants do not normally slaughter older cattle, such as the cow identified by the USDA. Instead they handle younger beef animals that are typically less than 24 months old, which are not in the BSE risk group. Tyson Foods has stringent guidelines for the handling of BSE risk materials from beef animals. For example, the company's plants remove all spinal cords from beef carcasses. All brains and similar tissues are segregated and not incorporated into any muscle or ground beef products. This segregated material is rendered for non-human consumption and is banned from ruminant animal feed worldwide. All Tyson plants are federally inspected and USDA inspectors are on hand every moment our slaughter facilities are in operation. This includes USDA veterinarians who monitor the health of the live animals brought to the company's facilities. Tyson encourages the USDA to work with our international trading partners to minimize the impact of the current situation on U.S. beef exports. Company officials will do all they can, both directly and through industry trade organizations, to support the government's effort. Tyson Foods, Inc. is a diversified company involved in the production of all major proteins. The company, founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is the world's largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork and the second largest food company in the Fortune 500. Tyson Foods produces a wide variety of brand name protein-based and prepared food products marketed in the United States and more than 80 countries around the world. Tyson Foods is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. The Company has approximately 120,000 team members and 300 facilities and offices in 27 states and 22 countries. More useful background on this subject can be found from these sources: USDA http://www.usda.gov/ National Cattlemen's Beef Association http://www.bseinfo.org/ American Meat Institute http://www.meatami.com/Template.cfm?Section=Home&template=PressReleaseDisplay. cfm&PressReleaseID=1802&News=Y DATASOURCE: Tyson Foods, Inc. CONTACT: media, Ed Nicholson, +1-479-290-4591, or Gary Mickelson, +1-605-235-2986, or investors, Louis Gottsponer, +1-479-290-4826, all of Tyson Foods, Inc. Web site: http://www.tyson.com/ http://www.usda.gov/ http://www.bseinfo.org/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/113769.html

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