What’s in Your Kitchen? Recalls: Ground Beef Recall and More

Posted in E. coli,Outbreaks & Recalls on September 27, 2018

MakeFoodSafe.com would like to help you keep your family safe from unsafe foods.  Each week we bring together a list of the current recalls.  Some recalls are issued due to undeclared allergens, which could cause serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if someone sensitive to the product consumes it.  Other recalls are issued due to contamination with harmful material or other health risk.  Check back often and evaluate your fridge, pantry, and shopping list to make sure you can identify which foods to avoid, like the latest ground beef recall.

This week’s recalls include:

Cargill Meat Solutions Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Potential Health Risk

Cargill Meat Solutions of Fort Morgan, Colorado issued a recall for approximately 132,606 pounds of their ground beef products that are made from the chuck portion of the carcass on September 19, 2018 due to the potential health risk, Escherichia coli O26.

E. coli O26 is a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) similar to the more common E. coli I157:H7. Illness with STECs can last anywhere from 2 to 8 days with the average being closer to 3 to 4 days. Symptoms of STEC O26 include vomiting and diarrhea that may be bloody.  Most normally healthy individuals will recover within a week without medical care, though some may experience more severe infection.  Some may develop a type of kidney failure known as Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).  The very young (under 5 years old), those with a weakened immune system, and older adults are more likely to develop HUS.  HUS symptoms include pallor, decreased urine output, and easy bruising.  Those with these symptoms after becoming infected with STEC O26 should seek medical attention immediately.  Without prompt antibiotic treatment, infection may become fatal.

The recall was initiated after traceback investigation led the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to Cargill Meat Solutions’ ground beef products.  As of August 16, 2018, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has linked 17 illnesses and one death to the outbreak with illness onset dates ranging from July 5, 2018 to July 25, 2018.

The product can be identified as bearing the establishment number EST. 86R.  Affected product was shipped nationwide to retail locations.  See table below for specific product information.

Consumer are urged to not consume the affected product and to throw it away or return to the place of purchase.

Zweigle’s Inc Recalls Pork Products Due to Excess Nitrate Levels

Zweigle’s Inc., of Rochester, New York issued a recall on September 2, 2018 for approximately 6,082 pounds of their ready-to-eat olive loaf pork products due to excess of regulatory limit sodium nitrate levels.

The recall was initiated after routine FSIS inspection discovered the establishment’s formulation for the use of sodium nitrate exceeded the regulatory limit.  Affected products were produced between June 29, 2018 and August 27, 2018 and were shipped to retail locations in western New York as intact loaves for slicing.  The product can be identified as bearing establishment number EST. 5333.  See table below for specific product information.

There have been no confirmed reports of illness in connection with this recall.  Consumers are urged to not consume the product and throw it away or return to the place of purchase.

Junior’s Smokehouse Processing Plant Recalls Beef Jerky Products Due to Mechanical Contamination

Junior’s Smokehouse Processing Plant of El Campo, Texas issued a recall on September 21, 2018 for approximately 690 pounds of their ready-to-eat teriyaki beef jerky products due to potential contamination with extraneous materials (specifically hard metal).  Consuming a metal product can cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract.

The recall was initiated after receiving a consumer complaint from a retail store customer.  Affected products were produced on August 9, 2018 and can be identified as bearing the establishment number EST. 48213.

There have been no confirmed reports of illness associated with this recall.  Consumes are urged to throw out the product or return to the place of purchase.

This Week’s Affected Products

By: Heather Van Tassell, Contributing Writer (Non-Lawyer)