Nebraska Company Recalls Beef Linked to Central Ohio E. Coli Outbreak

By Misti Crane, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

Jul. 1–Nebraska Beef of Omaha, Neb., is recalling about 531,707 pounds of meat used in ground beef because of possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.

The boxes of beef parts were shipped to wholesalers and processing plants in Colorado, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania.

The shipping containers and product labels have the establishment number “EST. 19336″ inside the U. S. Department of Agriculture mark of inspection. But that number would not be on packages further processed and repackaged for direct purchase by consumers.

The problem was discovered by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and is directly connected to the outbreak in Ohio and Michigan.

The only products directly sold to consumers that have been recalled are those sold by Kroger stores in Ohio and Michigan from May 21 to June 8.

E. coli is a potentially fatal bacteria that lives naturally in cow intestines but is harmful to humans.

Infections lead to diarrhea, often bloody, and can cause kidney failure.

As of yesterday, 23 Ohioans had been sickened in the outbreak, including 18 from four central Ohio counties.

For more information about the recall, click here. For more information about E. coli, click here.

How to stay safe:

— Columbus Public Health offers this advice to avoid E. coli and other food-borne illnesses: — Wash your hands often, especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers, as well as before and after handling food. — Cook ground beef to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and measure by putting a food thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. Do not eat ground beef that is pink in the middle. — If a restaurant serves you an undercooked hamburger, send it back for more cooking. Ask for a new bun and a clean plate, too. — Keep raw meat away from other foods. Wash your hands, cutting board, counter, dishes, knives and forks with hot, soapy water after they touch raw meat, spinach, greens or sprouts. — Never return cooked hamburgers or other meat to the plate they were on before cooking. — Drink only pasteurized milk, juice or cider. — Drink water from safe sources, such as the municipal water supply, wells that have been tested or bottled water. — Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them. — Do not swallow lake or pool water. — Wash your hands after touching animals.

mcrane@dispatch.com

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