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never the same with this loss."
• Making the product involves heating bits of beef and treating it with a small amount of ammonia to kill bacteria. The process has been used for years and meets federal food safety standards.
• BPI has declined to discuss financial details since the onslaught of social media criticism and the online petition drew hundreds of thousands of supporters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided that school districts may stop using the meat, and some retail chains have pulled products containing it from

their shelves.
• Company officials have said they hoped to recover but have since realized that doing so wasn't possible in the near future.
• Eldon Roth, a company co-founder, said BPI has worked for the last 30 years to produce the "safest, highest-quality, all-natural lean beef that has been enjoyed by millions of Americans."
• "We continue to stand by our product as 100 percent safe, wholesome and nutritious," he said. "We're convinced that consumer demand for our high quality lean beef will return."
• BPI spokesman Rich Jochum said the company will offer severance benefits and continue paying employees for 60 days. Jochum praised the workers, saying the company would be working with other companies in the region and within the industry to help them find jobs.
• "Based on the level of dedication, commitment and capability our employees possess or demonstrate, we are confident that any number of other employers will

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