The beef recall, the largest food take-back in the country's history, was ordered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in response to the release of undercover video shot by the Humane Society at a Southern California slaughterhouse run by Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. The video footage showed cattle too sick to walk being dragged and shocked by company employees, shoved with forklifts and soaked with high-pressure hoses. The footage is unsettling.

Meat from downed cows is not supposed to be processed and sold under USDA standards. Such animals, if not treated or euthanized, wallow in their own waste, which can increase the risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease.

But there's a big difference between managing an increased risk of disease and actual, widespread sickness. And thus far, no illnesses have been attributed to beef products that originated from the California slaughterhouse.

Consumers would appreciate knowing that this recall is taking place to revoke the USDA's seal of inspection from the meat, not because of the risk of illness.

"Everybody's going, 'Oh, a recall, that means death, that means sickness.' That's a different kind of issue," said USDA spokesman Keith Williams. "This is a lower severity, where there would be a remote probability of sickness."

Wesland/Hallmark's treatment of its animals is deplorable and in clear violation of federal standards. But the horror associated with this campaign needs to be dialed back a notch. The next time the USDA decides to undertake its biggest recall ever, it needs to do a better job communicating the real risk to public health.