Meat co. owner notified

Hallmark/Westland Meat Company’s owner has been subpoenaed to appear before a congressional subcommittee next Friday, after allegedly rebuffing several invitations to voluntarily testify.

Efforts to reach owner Steve Mendell, a Corona Del Mar resident, were unsuccessful Wednesday, and the company said it was “not talking to the press at all” about the matter.

The company came under fire last month after a video allegedly documenting inhumane practices at the company’s Chino slaughterhouse surfaced, prompting the largest beef recall in American history.

“Mr. Mendell has repeatedly avoided contact with committee staff,” said Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Committee staff tried to reach Mr. Mendell by telephone on 15 separate occasions.... The only instance in which the committee was able to speak with Mr. Mendell, [was when he] told committee staff that he would contact the staff later that day with his attorney.”

“Almost two weeks later,” he said, “the committee is still awaiting his call.”

Subcommittee members — who voted 10-0 in favor of subpoenaing Mendell — said the federal government had a responsibility to investigate the company.

“Congressman [Marsha] Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is aware of the rising sense of insecurity in America. People are insecure about their economic future, and they worry about the food that ends up on their table,” said Claude Chafin, a Blackburn spokesman. “It’s incumbent on Congress to investigate that and determine what, if any, federal remedies are appropriate.”

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said he had no comment on the matter. Efforts to reach Rep. John Campbell were unsuccessful.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at [email protected].