U.S. beef recall expands as illnesses reaches 20
Posted by msrb on June 29, 2009
About 1/2 million pounds of beef recalled, E.coli O157:H7 contamination suspected
JBS-Swift Beef Co based in Greeley, Colorado, is expanding its June 24 recall to a total of about 421,000 lbs of assorted beef products, USDA and the company said.
The recall is due to possible contamination by E.coli O157:H7 bacteria after about 20 people were sickened. The recall includes meat products that were processed on April 21 -22, 2009 and that have been sold nationally and internationally.
“The contamination may have come from further processing by other companies,” JBS spokesman said on Sunday.
The recalled products are roasts and steaks rather than ground beef; however, the company cannot ruled out that some of the beef may have been processed into ground products by intermediary resellers.
The products were shipped to Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin as well as overseas destinations.
A potentially deadly bacteria, Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli which causes foodborne illness. The infection often leads to bloody diarrhea, dehydration and occasionally to kidney failure, especially in young children, the elderly and persons with weak immune system.
The infections are associated with
- Eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef
- Drinking unpasteurized milk
- Swimming in contaminated water
- Eating contaminated vegetables
In the US consumers can call 1-800-685-6328 for further assistance.
More In-depth Analysis at:
Beef recall, E.coli O157:H7 suspected
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