E. coli Prompts Beef Recall in New Jersey
By Pritzker Olsen
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service found evidence of E. coli O157:H7 contamination in ground beef at a New Jersey food company, prompting a recall this week of 345 pounds of meat.
Dutch Prime Foods Inc. of Long Branch, N.J., said it is recalling five-pound and 10-pound plastic bags of ground beef produced Nov. 18 and distributed to restaurants in New Jersey. The packages were delivered in shipping cases which bear the establishment number “EST. 5206″ inside the USDA mark of inspection.
FSIS said the problem was discovered through a routine sampling procedure by its own inspectors. The agency had received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of the suspect ground beef when the recall announcement was made Tuesday in a press release.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) is a complication of the infection that can cause kidney failure. Young children, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible.
Tags: beef recall, E coli
