E. coli Prompts Ground Beef Recall in 11 States

WASHINGTONNational Beef Packing Co., based in Liberal, Kan., is recalling approximately 22,737 pounds of raw ground beef products in 11 states because the products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced June 18.

The recall involves 10-pound packages of National Beef" 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck, package code 0481"; 10-pound packages of National Beef" 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef, package code 0421"; and 10-pound packages of National Beef" 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, package code 0484" with use by/sell by dates of June 14, 2013. The recalled products were produced May 25, 2013, and shipped to various institutions and retail establishments in Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

The problem was discovered through routine FSIS monitoring that confirmed a positive result for E. coli O157:H7. An investigation determined National Beef Packing Co. was the sole supplier of the source materials used to produce the positive product. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

E. coli outbreaks linked to ground beef have been the subject of food-safety concerns for years. In January 2013, Beef Products, Inc., JBS USA, LLC and Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., were among several defendants in a lawsuit filed by the brother of a Minnesota man with Down syndrome who died after he was infected with a strain of E. coli from contaminated ground beef. The lawsuit blames his death on an E. coli 0157:H7 infection that affected 25 people in 17 states.