Too many times

This sort of thing makes me angry:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Meat giant Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of ground turkey linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has killed one person in California and sickened at least 76 others.

Illnesses in the outbreak date back to March and have been reported in 26 states coast to coast.

Cargill said Wednesday that it is recalling fresh and frozen ground turkey products produced at the company's Springdale, Ark., plant from Feb. 20 through Aug. 2 due to possible contamination from the strain of salmonella linked to the illnesses.

Company officials said that all ground turkey production has been suspended at the plant until the company is able to determine the source of the outbreak.

"Given our concern for what has happened, and our desire to do what is right for our consumers and customers, we are voluntarily removing our ground turkey products from the marketplace," said Steve Willardsen, president of Cargill's turkey processing business.

Bolding is mine.  I just wanted to point out that this whole ordeal began in February, and today is August 3.  I'm no math genius, but that's almost six months.  (Seriously, how much of that ground turkey being recalled NOW do they think is still sitting around in people's refrigerators?  From June?  I don't even want to think about March/April/May.  Or February.)

Here's another beauty from the same AP article:

The CDC said this week that cultures of ground turkey from four retail locations between March 7 and June 27 showed contamination with the same strain of salmonella, though those samples had not been specifically linked to the illnesses. The CDC said preliminary information showed that three of those samples were linked to the same production establishment, but it did not name that plant.

Three months of "contamination with the same strain of salmonella."  From four locations.  Three of which were linked to the same production plant.  That part's my favorite.

Maybe I should add that this doesn't effect us at all--I don't have any of this particular product lying about (um, I don't buy from "meat giants," for one thing).  It just makes me wonder why we're supposed to be thankful that companies recall their products "voluntarily" for our "safety" when months have passed since contaminants have first been detected.

It's stupid.  I hate stupid.

The Cure, "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea." Because.