E. COLI O157 - USA (06): GROUND BEEF, ALERT, RECALL

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International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Fri 6 Aug 2010
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) [edited]



Valley Meat Company of Modesto, California, is recalling about a million
pounds [about 455 tonnes] of frozen ground beef patties and bulk ground
beef products that may be contaminated with _Escherichia coli_ O157:H7, the
United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS) has announced.

FSIS became aware of the problem on 15 Jul 2010 when the agency was
notified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) of a small
cluster of _E. coli_ O157:H7 illnesses with a rare strain as determined by
PFGE [pulsed field gel electrophoresis] subtyping. A total of 6 patients
with illness onset dates between 8 Apr and 18 Jun 2010 were reported at
that time. After further review, CDPH added another patient from February
2010 to the case count, bringing the count to 7. FSIS is continuing to work
with the CDPH and the company on the investigation. Anyone with signs or
symptoms of foodborne illness should contact a health care provider.

[A list of the products subject to recall can be found at the source URL
above. - Mod.LL]

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number "EST. 8268"
inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a production code of 27509
through 01210. These products were produced between the dates of 2 Oct 2009
through 12 Jan 2010 and were distributed to retail outlets and
institutional foodservice providers in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona,
and internationally. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will
be posted on FSIS' website at
.

FSIS and the establishment are concerned that some product may still be
frozen and in consumers' freezers. FSIS strongly encourages consumers to
check their freezers and immediately discard any product that is the
subject of this recall.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify that firms
notify their customers (including restaurants) of a recall and that steps
are taken to make certain that a suspect product is no longer available to
consumers.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products,
including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been
cooked to a temperature of 160 deg F [71 deg C]. The only way to confirm
that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful
bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.

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[see also:
E. coli O157 - USA (05): (CO, NY), bison meat, alert, recall 20100709.2286
E. coli O157 - USA (04): (MN) unpasteurized milk 20100607.1900
E. coli O157 - USA: 2009, tenderized non-intact steak 20100108.0092
2009
---
E. coli O157 - USA (09): tenderized, non-intact steak 20091230.4389
E. coli O157 - USA (08): ground beef 20091103.3794
E. coli O157 - USA (06): beef, recall, RFI 20090702.2389
E. coli O157 - USA (03): beef, recall 20090629.2354
2007
---
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (multistate) (09) 20071126.3823
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (multistate) (08): Canada 20071029.3511
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (multistate) (04): 2nd manufacturer
20071007.3304
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (multistate) (03): CDC report 20071003.3272
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (multistate): alert, recall 20070927.3201
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (NY): alert, recall 20070926.3190
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (WA, OR): alert 20070830.2855
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (NY) 20070725.2387
E. coli VTEC, prisoners - USA (CO) (02) 20070714.2263
E. coli VTEC, prisoners - USA (CO): RFI 20070712.2236
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (west) (03): expanded recall 20070611.1902
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (west): recall 20070606.1831
E. coli O157, ground beef - USA (multistate): recall 20070514.1532
E. coli O157, steak - USA (PA): recall 20070426.1362
2003
---
E. coli O157, frozen steaks - USA (Midwest): recall 20030701.1617]

.................ll/mj/sh



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