E. Coli Fears Lead to Beef Recall

More Than 1M Pounds Of Ground Beef Recalled

POSTED: 8:41 am PDT November 3, 2007
UPDATED: 9:05 am PDT November 3, 2007

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Federal officials said a meat company is voluntarily recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef because it may be contaminated with E. coli.
WASHINGTON -- The Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the affected products were produced at a Cargill Meat Solutions plant in Wyalusing, Pa. The products were then distributed to retailers nationwide, including supermarket chains Giant, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop and Weis Markets.

The Cargill recall represents various weights and types of ground beef with a "use by-freeze by" date between Oct. 19 and Nov. 3.

Cargill learned of the possibility of contamination after the U.S. Department of Agriculture returned a confirmed positive on a sample of product produced Oct. 8, 2007.

"No illnesses have been associated with this product," said John Keating, president of Cargill Regional Beef, said in a statement. "We are working closely with the USDA to remove this product from the marketplace."

Officials said consumers should look in their freezers for affected products and return or discard them if found.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

Food safety experts recommend cooking any ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F., or until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Cargill Meat Solutions, based in Wichita, Kan., is the umbrella organization of Cargill's beef, pork and turkey businesses.

The Wyalusing plant produces 200 million pounds of ground beef annually.

Cargill Inc., based in Wayzata, Minn., is one of the nation's largest privately held companies. It makes food ingredients, moves commodities around the world and runs financial commodities trading businesses.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company's food safety line at 1-877-455-1034.

For a complete list of the products recalled, visit Cargill's Web site.


Additional Resources:

Cargill Meat Solutions
Cargill Inc.
Agriculture Department's Food and Safety Inspection Service

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