Beef recall prompts new policies

Consumers may be told if their local grocery store got tainted meat during a recall under a new policy announced Friday by the Agriculture Department.

The planned rule change comes in the wake of the nation’s biggest-ever beef recall – 143 million pounds from a slaughterhouse in Southern California.

Under the new rule, which is expected to be published next week and take effect 30 days later, retailers’ names will be posted on the Agriculture Department Web site during so-called “Class I” meat and poultry recalls – those deemed to pose a definite public health risk.