More than 22,000 pounds of beef are feared contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Tuesday.
A recall spanning at least 13 states concerns 22,737 pounds of ground beef packaged by National Beef Packing Co. of Liberal, Kan., and affects 10-pound packages of the following products:
• “National Beef” 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck, package code “0481.”
• “National Beef” 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef, package code “0421.”
• “National Beef” 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, package code “0484.”
The packages of ground meat have a use/sell by date of June 14, 2013, and bear the establishment number “EST. 208A” inside the USDA mark of inspection, according to a press release by the FSIS. The beef was produced on May 25, 2013, and shipped to retail establishments in Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Mississippi, Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Arizona.
There is concern that some contaminated products may have been frozen and stored in consumers' freezers.
The recall resulted from routine FSIS inspection. No cases of illness associated with these products have yet been reported.
E. coli are potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illnesses.
The FSIS advises consumers are advised to fully cook their meat so that its internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, as it is the only way to ensure that harmful bacteria are killed.
Last year, a massive recall of more than 890,000 pounds of beef from Canada ended up affecting 30 states in the U.S., eventually extending to 1,500 types of products representing one third of the total Canadian beef supply. Between four an 22 incidences of illness stemming from the tainted beef were reported, all in Canada.
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