JBS Swift Expands Beef Recall

WASHINGTON— The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that JBS Swift Beef Company, a Greeley, Colo., firm is voluntarily expanding its June 24 recall to include approximately 380,000 pounds of assorted beef primal products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

The expanded recall is a result of FSIS' cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in an ongoing investigation into 24 illnesses in multiple states, of which at least 18 appear to be associated. This investigation prompted the company to re-examine the effectiveness of its food-safety system for the April 21 production of beef primals; it is conducting this recall out of an abundance of caution as the safety of the products produced on a portion of that day could not be assured.

The recalled products include intact cuts of beef, such as primals, sub-primals or boxed beef typically used for steaks and roasts rather than ground beef. FSIS is aware that some of these products may have been further processed into ground products by other companies. The highest risk products for consumers are raw ground product, trim or other non-intact product made from the products subject to the recall.

The beef products were produced April 21-22, 2009, and shipped to distributors and retail establishments in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.

Each box bears the establishment number "EST. 969" inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as the identifying package date of "042109" and a time stamp ranging from "0618" to "1130." However, these products were sent to establishments and retail stores nationwide for further processing and will likely not bear the establishment number "EST. 969" on products available for direct consumer purchase.

Click here to view a copy of the complete recall.