In response to questions from guests and investors, CKE Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s 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 and Hardee’s
Thickburgers are made with high-quality, 100 percent Black Angus
beef from USDA certified steers and heifers, three years of age or
younger.