Recall of Ground Beef Still Growing — Mid-South Kroger Stores Hit Hard By E. Coli Scares

OMAHA, Neb. – Nebraska Beef Ltd. said Thursday it was greatly expanding a recall of ground beef that was sold in some Mid-South Kroger stores.

The move came after federal investigators linked Nebraska Beef’s products to an outbreak of E. coli illnesses affecting 41 people in Michigan and Ohio.

As a result, the company is expanding an earlier recall of 531,707 pounds to include all 5.3 million pounds of meat products it produced for ground beef between May 16 and June 26.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement Thursday that Nebraska Beef’s production practices were insufficient to effectively control E. coli bacteria, which can be fatal if ingested.

“The products subject to recall may have been produced under insanitary conditions,” the government said.

The government said that none of the affected products remain available for purchase at stores. However, consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and freezers and discard or return the ground beef products for a refund.

The Kroger Co. has already recalled some ground beef products to its stores in more than 20 states, saying the meat may be contaminated with E. coli.

In Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, the Kroger recall involves products in Styrofoam tray packages wrapped in clear cellophane or purchased from an in-store service counter, with sell- by dates of May 21 through July 3. It does not include ground beef sold in sealed tubes in one-, three- or five-pound packages and frozen patties in the frozen food section.

All the beef being recalled was sold to wholesalers and distributors for further processing so consumer labels likely will not include the “EST 19336″ code that identifies Nebraska Beef.

USDA spokesman Roger Sockman said investigators traced the meat back to Nebraska Beef after finding two samples of beef that tested positive for E. coli at plants that bought meat from Nebraska Beef.

Sockman said investigators then visited Nebraska Beef’s plant and found “unacceptable high levels of E. coli.”

Nebraska Beef spokesman Bill Lamson did not respond to a message seeking comment Thursday afternoon.

At least two lawsuits tied to this E. coli outbreak already have been filed against Nebraska Beef and Kroger.

The company said Monday that beef involved in the original recall went to businesses in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Thursday’s release did not specify whether the 5.3 million pounds now being recalled went to any additional states.

Twenty-two people have been hospitalized since the first case of E. coli linked to the beef was identified May 30, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person has developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

Cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees should kill E. coli bacteria, if they are present.

The USDA recommends that consumers use a meat thermometer while cooking to verify they have cooked meat thoroughly.

Consumers with questions about the recall are asked to call James Timmerman, Nebraska Beef’s vice president of administration, at (402) 733-0456.

On the Web

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service: www.fsis.usda.gov

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s E. coli site: cdc.gov/ecoli

Kroger recall: kroger.com

——————–

Refunds available locally

Anyone purchasing beef at a Memphis-area Kroger can return the meat for a full refund, even without the receipt, Kroger spokesman Whitney Atkins said.

Atkins added that the meat on the shelves now has been purchased from a different source and is safe.

——————–

Originally published by From Our Press Services .

(c) 2008 Commercial Appeal, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.