CKE Restaurants, Inc. Regards Food Safety as Its Number One Priority

By: CKE Restaurants | 0 Shares 88 Reads

CARPINTERIA, Calif., Feb 18, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- In response to questions from guests and investors, CKE Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Carl's Jr.(R) and Hardee's(R) restaurant chains, announced today that it has not purchased any of the meat from Hallmark Meat Packing or Westland Meat Co. that has been implicated in the recently-announced USDA Class II recall.



    The following guidelines apply to both the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's brands:

   *  All meat products are purchased from USDA-approved facilities and must

       comply with USDA requirements for food safety and sanitation. Suppliers

       must also comply with stringent specifications and standards required

       by CKE Quality Assurance Department.

    *  Suppliers and products are evaluated for compliance to company

       specifications, standards and regulatory requirements through routine

       production facility inspections and product audits.

    *  In addition to performing inspections and product audits, the CKE

       Quality Assurance Department requires nationally recognized,

       independent audits for all supplier facilities.

    *  CKE specifically prohibits the use of "downer" cattle by suppliers.

    *  CKE's premium line of Carl's Jr. Six Dollar Burgers(TM) and Hardee's

       Thickburgers(TM) are made with high-quality, 100 percent Black Angus

       beef from USDA certified steers and heifers, three years of age or

       younger.

Headquartered in Carpinteria, California, CKE Restaurants, Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CKR". As of the second fiscal quarter ending Nov. 5, 2007, CKE Restaurants, through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,036 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 43 states and 14 countries, including 1,121 Carl's Jr. restaurants and 1,915 Hardee's restaurants. For more information about CKE Restaurants, Inc., please visit http://www.ckr.com.

SOURCE CKE Restaurants, Inc.

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