A Nebraska-based meat company is recalling about 167,427 pounds of ground beef products that may be ridden with E.coli bacteria.
According to an official statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, the problem with the said products from All American Meats was found on Oct. 30, when an FSIS testing traced a positive E. coli result back to the brand’s products.
However, there have been no confirmed reports of sickness linked to the beef.
The recall covers meat sold in either 60-pound or 80-pound packages, distributed to nationwide retail locations. FSIS, which will release a record of the retail distributors carrying the affected ground beef products, fears that some contaminated ones are frozen and already in consumers’ freezers.
Affected All American Meats products have a Sell By date of Nov. 3, bearing the establishment number "EST.20420" inside the USDA mark of inspection.
Consumers who have already bought the products are urged to throw them away or return to place of purchase. Those purchasing fresh and frozen raw meat products are advised to safely prepare them and only eat ground beef cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees F.
E. coli can be potentially lethal and can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. The infection can occur in people of any age but is most common among kids under age 5 and the elderly. While most patients recover in a week’s time, some develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a kind of kidney failure.
Brian Brislen, an attorney representing the company, affirmed the company’s compliance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recall protocol. "Everything produced that day was recalled as a precaution,” he said.
Chipotle Mexican Grill was also reported last Sunday to have temporarily closed 43 restaurants in Portland and Seattle due to what is believed to be an E. coli outbreak.
According to its representatives, the move was “out of an abundance of caution” as health officials have started investigating around 20 E. coli cases in Oregon and Washington, including cases who dined in at Chipotle restaurants in those locations.
FSIS conducts routine recall effectiveness checks in order to verify customer notification of such recalls and to make sure measures are taken to prevent access to affected products.
Photo: Danielle Scott | Flickr
