DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Officials say a cotton glove found in a meat grinder at a Des Moines meatpacking plant stopped production and led to an inspection of about 40,000 pounds of meat.

Police have no motive for last Thursday's incident at Swan Packing Inc. But the plant's general manager, Jerry Rowles, blames a disgruntled employee who police have yet to identify.

The glove was discovered when a worker disassembled a grinder for maintenance. Most of the glove was intact, but pieces were missing.

An inspection to find every thread took 12 hours and required 45 employees to pick through the meat with their fingers.

It was the third time in a year that a loose glove threatened production at the plant.