By Joe Ruff
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

It's all in a name.

The beef recall by Omaha meatpacker Nebraska Beef Ltd. because of possible E. coli contamination appeared to cause confusion when some media outlets used the shorthand "Nebraska Beef,'' potentially implying that any beef produced in Nebraska was subject to recall.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service posted clarifications on its Web site Wednesday. The agency stated that a recall announced last Friday and an earlier one this summer affected only certain products processed at one Omaha firm.

The words "Nebraska Beef'' could be interpreted too broadly, said Keith Williams, a spokesman for the agency.

Since the early 1990s, state officials and cattlemen have launched a number of marketing efforts to make the name Nebraska a brand name for quality beef.

Labels attached to beef shipped to Japan read "beef from Nebraska.'' Another effort attempted to have supermarkets attach notices that the steaks were "Nebraska Corn-Fed Beef.''

The overall objective has been to make Nebraska beef as common a standard for quality as Idaho potatoes, so any confusion caused by the meatpacker's name could jeopardize nearly 20 years of image-building.

Janet Riley of the American Meat Institute, a trade group, said headlines flashed across the bottom of TV screens in the United States said "Nebraska Beef,'' which could create confusion domestically and overseas.

The AMI also issued a clarification.

"Millions of pounds of safe beef produced in the state are currently in commerce and may be prepared and consumed safely,'' AMI said.

Beth Weiss, a spokeswoman for beef and gourmet food marketer Omaha Steaks, said her company received nearly 300 phone inquiries last weekend from customers seeking assurance that Omaha Steaks was not involved in the recall.

Omaha Steaks has received similar inquiries during past recalls, particularly those involving a Nebraska company, but this number was unusually high, Weiss said.

Perhaps more people were watching TV because of the Olympics and saw snippets of news items, Weiss speculated. Or maybe it was concern over two recalls involving the same Nebraska firm in a matter of months, she said.

Nebraska Cattlemen spokesman Mike Fitzgerald said his organization had not received any phone calls from consumers, but some members of the group talked about the potential for confusion.

"Hopefully the word will get out'' that the recall involved one company and not beef across the state, Fitzgerald said.

Ann Marie Bosshamer, executive director of the Nebraska Beef Council, said her trade organization had received about 10 phone calls Monday and Tuesday, primarily from news organizations asking about the recall. The council quickly cleared up any confusion, she said.

Christin Kamm, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Agriculture Department, said the distinction between the Omaha firm and the rest of the industry was important to make.

A spokesman for Nebraska Beef Ltd., attorney William Lamson, did not return a phone call seeking comment.