30 tons of ground beef recalled for possible E. coli contamination

Nearly 30 tons — about 58,000 pounds — of raw ground beef have been recalled because of possible E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned on Friday.

The government agency announced that American Foods Group, LLC, doing business as Green Bay Dressed Beef, LLC, recalled several ground beef products shipped to Georgia, Michigan and Ohio, claiming that they may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

The items were produced on Aug. 14 and recalled the next day.

• Approximately 80-pound cases containing 10-pound plastic tubes (chubs) of “90050 BEEF FINE GROUND 81/19” with lot code D123226026
• Approximately 80-pound cases containing 10-pound plastic tubes (chubs) of “20473 BEEF HALAL FINE GROUND 73/27” with lot code D123226027
• Approximately 80-pound cases containing 10-pound plastic tubes (chubs) of “20105 BEEF FINE GROUND 73/27” with lot code D123226027

The products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase, the USDA advised.

The possible contamination of the products was discovered when the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service team was notified that a state public health official collected a sample that tested positive for the bacteria.

However, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions from these products.

E. coli is bacteria found in the environment, food and the intestines of people and animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People who consume certain strains of the organism may develop symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach cramps for an average of three to four days.

Some illnesses last longer and can be more severe, but most people recover within a week.

Along with flu-like symptoms, E. coli could be behind more than a half-million urinary tract infections in the U.S. each year.

The worrisome new findings come from experts who also warn that deaths caused by the same bacteria that bring about UTIs — E. coli — could be on the rise.

“We’re used to the idea that foodborne E. coli can cause outbreaks of diarrhea, but the concept of foodborne E. coli causing urinary tract infections seems strange — that is, until you recognize that raw meat is often riddled with the E. coli strains that cause these infections,” said professor Lance Price, director of George Washington University’s Antibiotic Resistance Action Center, in a statement.

The USDA suggests using a meat thermometer to guarantee that it is cooked to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill harmful bacteria like E. coli.