Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company was a California meat-packing business that became associated with the largest meat recall in United States history after an animal-cruelty investigation at its Chino plant.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company was a California-based meat-packing and beef-processing company operating from Chino. The company handled raw and frozen beef products and supplied products into channels that included United States government food programs. Its corporate identity combined the Hallmark Meat Packing and Westland Meat Company names. The company became nationally prominent in early 2008 after an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States documented employees mistreating cattle that were unable to walk, commonly referred to as non-ambulatory or “downer” cattle. The footage reportedly showed workers using devices including forklifts to move disabled animals toward slaughter areas. The investigation prompted action by the United States Department of Agriculture and led to the suspension of activity at the plant while federal and local authorities examined humane-handling and food-safety compliance. On February 17, 2008, the company voluntarily recalled slightly more than 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef produced at the facility. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service treated the products as unfit for human consumption because the cattle involved had not received complete and proper inspection. The recall was classified as Class II, a category associated with a remote probability of adverse health consequences rather than an established widespread illness outbreak. The USDA also stated that the products were extremely unlikely to present a bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, risk because of existing safeguards; the recall was nevertheless required because of alleged regulatory violations. The incident had both animal-welfare and food-regulatory consequences. Two employees identified in connection with the footage were terminated, and felony animal-cruelty charges were filed by the San Bernardino County District Attorney. Company president Steve Mendell publicly condemned the conduct, said the employees had been removed, and stated that the business was cooperating with investigators and strengthening humane-handling procedures. The USDA placed administrative holds on Hallmark/Westland products intended for programs including the National School Lunch Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. The recall and related litigation created substantial costs for the business. The company was subsequently forced into bankruptcy, making the 2008 crisis the decisive event in its documented corporate history. The episode also became part of a wider national debate over the treatment and slaughter of non-ambulatory cattle and the regulatory gap that allowed such animals to enter the food supply. The Humane Society pursued federal litigation seeking to close that loophole. No later operating history, successor brand, current website, or continuing commercial activity is established in the supplied reference material.
History
Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company was a meat-processing business based in Chino, California. Publicly documented information about its founding, ownership structure, size, and earlier operating history is limited in the supplied references. The company’s importance in the historical record derives principally from the events surrounding its Chino slaughtering and packing facility in 2007 and 2008. An undercover investigator working for the Humane Society of the United States recorded employees handling cattle that were unable to walk. The footage reportedly depicted workers abusing disabled animals and using forklifts to move them toward kill pens. The allegations raised questions about compliance with federal humane-handling requirements and about whether animals that had become ill or disabled after ante-mortem inspection were being properly reported to the plant’s public-health veterinarian. The USDA learned of the alleged conduct on January 30, 2008, and suspended activity at the plant while the matter was investigated. On February 8, the USDA Office of Inspector General took the lead in the investigation. The department also extended an administrative hold on Hallmark/Westland products connected with the National School Lunch Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. On February 17, the company voluntarily recalled more than 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef. FSIS concluded that the products were unfit for human consumption because the cattle had not received complete and proper inspection. The recall was designated Class II, meaning that regulators considered a harmful-health-outcome probability remote. The USDA emphasized that it considered a BSE risk extremely unlikely because of multiple safeguards, but said the alleged inspection failures independently required the recall. The investigation also produced criminal consequences. Two employees were fired, and the San Bernardino County District Attorney filed felony animal-cruelty charges. Steve Mendell, identified as president of both Westland Meat Company and Hallmark Meat Packing, condemned the conduct, said the workers shown in the footage had been removed, and stated that the company would cooperate with investigators and reinforce humane-handling policies and training. The case became a major policy controversy. During Senate Agriculture Committee discussions, USDA Secretary Ed Schafer indicated that the department did not favor a complete ban on downer cattle entering the food supply. Around the same period, the Humane Society filed a federal lawsuit seeking to eliminate the regulatory pathway through which such cattle could continue to be accepted for food production. The recall, investigations, and related litigation generated costs that the company could not absorb. Hallmark/Westland was ultimately forced into bankruptcy. The available material does not establish a precise bankruptcy date, the company’s founding date, a successor organization, or any continuing brand activity. Its documented legacy is therefore primarily regulatory and historical: the episode influenced public debate about humane slaughter, federal inspection, government food procurement, and the treatment of non-ambulatory livestock.
- 2008
USDA suspends plant activity and begins investigation
[1]The USDA investigated possible violations involving the humane handling of non-ambulatory cattle and the failure to notify the plant’s public-health veterinarian in required circumstances.
- 2008
Largest United States meat recall documented at the time
[2]Hallmark/Westland voluntarily recalled slightly more than 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef.
- 2008
Employees face felony animal-cruelty charges
[3]Two employees identified in connection with the undercover footage were terminated, and felony charges were filed by the San Bernardino District Attorney.
- 2007
Undercover investigation records alleged cattle mistreatment
[1]A Humane Society of the United States investigator working at the facility recorded alleged abuse of cattle unable to walk, including the use of forklifts to move animals.
Company enters bankruptcy after recall-related costs
[1]The recall and ensuing litigation costs ultimately forced the company into bankruptcy; the available reference does not specify the filing date.
Products and positioning
A California meat-packing company supplying raw and frozen beef, including products distributed through government food-assistance and school-meal channels before its bankruptcy.
Beef products
Raw beef
Hallmark/Westland processed raw beef at its Chino facility. Products connected with the 2008 regulatory action were subject to a voluntary recall after FSIS determined that the cattle had not received complete and proper inspection.
Beef products
Frozen beef
The company also produced frozen beef products. More than 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef were recalled in February 2008, including products associated with government food-program distribution.
Controversies
2008
Animal-cruelty and meat-inspection scandal
Undercover footage showed alleged mistreatment of non-ambulatory cattle at the company’s plant. The resulting USDA investigation, criminal charges against two employees, and findings concerning incomplete inspection led to a recall of more than 143 million pounds of beef.
Brand decisions
2008
Voluntary recall of raw and frozen beefOtherBackground
The USDA determined that cattle associated with the products had not received complete and proper inspection after allegations that non-ambulatory animals were mishandled.
Action taken
The company recalled slightly more than 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef. Regulators classified the action as Class II and placed holds on products connected with federal food programs.
Aftermath
The recall generated major litigation and financial costs and contributed to the company’s subsequent bankruptcy.
2008
Humane-handling and compliance measuresStrategyBackground
The company faced allegations that employees had violated humane-handling policies and that required notifications concerning ill or disabled cattle had not been made.
Action taken
President Steve Mendell said the identified employees were terminated and that the company was implementing stronger measures to enforce humane-handling policies and procedures.
Aftermath
The facility remained under investigation, while the recall and litigation contributed to the company’s eventual bankruptcy.
Sources3 sources
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