E. coli Contaminated Beef Recall spreads to 20 State
Pastor Dale Morgan
E. coli Contaminated Beef Recall spreads to 20 State*
CINCINNATI (AP) — First it was the tomatoes. Now it's the beef.
Fourth of July picnic tables are getting a careful look as familiar
hamburgers are feared to be among the tainted ingredients in separate
food safety scares.
On Wednesday, The Kroger Co. expanded its voluntary recall of some
ground beef products to its stores in more than 20 states, saying the
meat is contaminated with E. coli.
The nation's biggest traditional grocer also urged customers to check
the ground beef in their refrigerators and freezers to determine whether
it is covered by the recall.
The warning comes as federal investigators try to pinpoint the source of
a separate salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes that has sickened
nearly 900 people, raising more questions about the nation's food safety
system.
FRESH SALSA: Latest suspect in salmonella outbreak
While insisting that tomatoes remain the leading suspect, investigators
are looking at other produce but remain mum on exactly what vegetables
are getting tracked.
Kroger's recall stems from meat obtained from one of Kroger's suppliers,
Nebraska Beef Ltd., that has been linked to illnesses reported in
Michigan and Ohio between May 31 and June 8 caused by E. coli bacteria.
Nebraska Beef has recalled from wholesalers and other processing
companies nearly 532,000 pounds of ground beef produced on five dates
between May 16 and June 24.
Kroger said Wednesday that as a precaution it removed from stores all
ground beef supplied by Nebraska Beef marked with sell by dates of May
21 or later.
"Ground beef in stores today comes from other suppliers not involved in
the recall," Kroger spokeswoman Meghan Glynn said Wednesday.
The Cincinnati-based company initiated a recall June 25 for Kroger
stores in Michigan and in central and northern Ohio. The expanded recall
includes ground beef sold at Fred Meyer, QFC, Ralphs, Smith's, Baker's,
King Soopers, City Markets, Hilander, Owen's, Pay Less and Scott's with
overlapping sell-by dates from mid-May through mid-July.
In some stores, the recall includes products in Styrofoam tray packages
wrapped in clear cellophane or purchased from an in-store service
counter. It does not include ground beef sold in 1-, 3-, or 5-pound
sealed tubes or frozen ground beef patties sold in the frozen food
section of its stores.
Kroger is notifying customers about the expanded recall by placing signs
in stores in meat departments. It also is using its register receipt
notification system.
Kroger can track purchases by customers who use the company's loyalty
card, which entitles customers to certain discounts. Sometimes those
customers receive information about products the next time the card is
used and a receipt is issued, Glynn said.
In other cases, Kroger is able to call customers who used the loyalty
card to purchase a tainted product, and it is doing that with the ground
beef recall, Glynn said.
Symptoms of E. coli infection can include severe stomach cramps,
diarrhea, vomiting and fever. It can potentially be deadly, but most
people recover within five to seven days.
Health officials urge people to thoroughly cook hamburger and, if
possible, use a digital thermometer to make sure meat has been heated to
at least 160 degrees.
They also recommend that people wash their hands with warm water and
soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.