Beef recall expands to 5.3 million pounds
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - July 3, 2008 Federal investigators have linked Nebraska Beef's products to an
outbreak of E. coli illnesses affecting 41 people in Michigan and
Ohio.
The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a
statement Thursday that it concluded Nebraska Beef's production
practices were insufficient to effectively control E. coli
bacteria.
"The products subject to recall may have been produced under
insanitary conditions," the government said.
All the beef being recalled was sold to wholesalers and
distributors for further processing so consumer labels likely will
not include the "EST 19336" code that identifies Nebraska Beef.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates
that E. coli sickens about 73,000 people and kills 61 each year in
the United States. Most of those who die have weak immune systems,
such as the elderly or very young.
Nebraska Beef spokesman Bill Lamson did not respond to a message
left Thursday afternoon.
USDA spokesman Roger Sockman said investigators traced the meat
back to Nebraska Beef after finding two samples of beef that tested
positive for E. coli at processing plants that bought meat from
Nebraska Beef.
Sockman said investigators then visited Nebraska Beef's plant
and found "unacceptable high levels of E. coli." Sockman said he
did not know any other details.
Some Nebraska Beef products were sold by grocer Kroger Co.
Kroger has recalled ground beef products in more than 20 states
because the meat may have been contaminated.
At least two lawsuits tied to this E. coli outbreak already have
been filed against Nebraska Beef and Kroger.
Attorney Fred Pritzker filed one of the lawsuits on behalf of a
20-year-old Ohio man who became ill with E. coli after eating
ground beef from a Kroger store.
On Monday, Nebraska Beef announced plans to recall 531,707
pounds of beef trim produced on five different dates between May 16
and June 24.
Now the recall includes all beef trimmings and other products
intended for use in ground beef the company produced between May 16
and June 26.
But Sockman said the recall does not include any of the other
products produced at the plant.
The company said Monday that beef involved in the original
recall went to businesses in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois,
Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Thursday's release did not specify whether the 5.3 million
pounds now being recalled went to any additional states.
The company's Omaha plant typically slaughters about 1,000 head
of cattle per day.
Cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160
degrees should kill E. coli bacteria, if they are present. The USDA
recommends that consumers use a meat thermometer while cooking to
verify they have cooked meat thoroughly.
Twenty-two people have been hospitalized since the first case of
E. coli linked to the beef was identified May 30, according to the
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person has
developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic
syndrome.
The E. coli 0157:H7 variant can cause severe illness and even
death in humans. Symptoms of E. coli infection include stomach
cramps and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days.
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On the Net:
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service: www.fsis.usda.gov
U.S. Centers for Disease Control E. coli site:
http://cdc.gov/ecoli