USDA has associated the Cargill E. coli ground beef recall with three confirmed illnesses caused by the identical strain of E. coli 026. There are two cases in Maine and one in New York.  The agency’s initial Cargill ground beef recall distribution list includes 26 BJ’s Wholesale Club stores in Maine, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York.

An active E. coli ground beef investigation is continuing. The tainted Cargill ground beef was produced June 11 for use or freezing by July 1. People started to get sick  June 24. Public health officials at the state and federal level are concerned that more outbreak cases could surface if consumers unknowingly pull recalled ground beef from their home freezers for meal preparation.

Cargill’s recalled ground beef was sold to BJ’s Wholesale Club in 42-pound cases. Fourteen-pound “chubs” inside the cases were for repackaging into trays of ground beef for sale in BJ’s Wholesale Club meat cases. The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 9400″ inside the USDA mark of inspection. The Class I recall covers 8,500 pounds of Cargill ground beef.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli O157:H7 causes 73,000 illnesses and 50 deaths every year in the United States.  Another six E. coli strains – including O26 — are less pervasive but just as capable of causing severe illness, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Due to a gaping shortfall in federal law, only E. coli 0157:H7 is banned from ground beef as an adulterant. The prohibition hasn’t ended E. coli 0157:H7 contamination, but it has forced meatpackers to constantly test for it and it also calls for routine government testing of the products.

An FSIS ground beef recall announcement said Cargill Meat Solutions Corp of Pennsylvania is recalling 8.500 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli 026, a potentially lethal human pathogen. The meat was produced June 11 and sold in 14-pound “chubs” to retailers who repackaged it for meat case display. The affected store brands haven’t been announced yet. The tainted ground beef was initially shipped to distribution centers in Connecticut and Maryland for further sale.

Two people from Maine and one from New York have been infected by the same identical strain of E. coli 026 and health investigators in the two states are continuing their efforts to learn the extent of this outbreak.  Cargill is a large multi-national corporation that has been involved in E. coli ground beef recalls and outbreaks in the past. FSIS has found a convincing association between the Maine and New York E. coli cases and ground beef from Cargill.

Eating ground beef is a well-established mode of shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). The most prevalent type of STEC is O157:H7, but E. coli 026 also produces shiga toxin that attacks a person’s red blood cells. In 5 to 15 percent of STEC infections, patients develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a related condition.

HUS is the leading cause of kidney failure, worldwide, in children. It also can damage other parts of a person’s body, including the heart, brain and central nervous system. HUS in children is deadly in about 5 percent of cases.

Here is the Cargill E. coli ground beef recall announcement:

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 9400″ inside the USDA mark of inspection. The recall includes 42-pound cases of “GROUND BEEF FINE 90/10,” containing three (3) – approximately 14 pound chubs each. These products have a “use/freeze by” date of “07/01/10,” and an identifying product code of “W69032.”

Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act, FSIS provides mandatory federal inspection of meat and meat food products, poultry products, and processed egg products. FSIS bears the cost of mandatory inspection provided during non-overtime and non-holiday hours of operation, while the establishments pay for inspection services performed on holidays or on an overtime basis. The regulations define the basic workweek as five consecutive eight-hour days, excluding the lunch period. FSIS proposes that the eight hours of inspection service provided by the Agency include sufficient time for inspection program personnel to put on required gear and walk to a work station as well as to return from a workstation and remove required gear. Any time over those eight hours is overtime charged to an establishment.

Distributed to institutional foodservice facilities and retail locations in Arizona, California, Texas and Oregon, the beef products were manufactured from Oct. 2009-Jan. 2010. The establishment number on the recalled frozen beef products is EST. 8268 and the production codes are 25709 through 01210. FSIS will post retail distribution information updates as that information becomes available. The FSIS is concerned that consumers may still have frozen recalled product in their freezers at home that could potentially be contaminated. FSIS advises consumers to check freezers to see if any of the following recalled products are there, and discard them immediately:

Valley Meat Company Beef Recall: Product Details

• (#2155) *IQF* 80/20% BEEF PATTIES 8/1R
• (#2503) SMASHBURGER 40/7 OZ. – VAC PACK
• (#2510) IQF 80/20% BEEF PATTIES 2/1 OVAL
• (#2515) *IQF* 80/20% BEEF PATTIES 2/1 R
• (#2535) IQF 80/20% BEEF PATTIES 3/1 OVAL
• (#2545) IQF 80/20% BEEF PATTIES 3/1R
• (#2575) *IQF* 80/20% BEEF PATTIES 4/1R
• (#2595) IQF – 80/20% PATTIES 4/1R THIN
• (#2605) *IQF* 80/20% BEEF PATTIES 5/1R
• (#2635) *IQF* 80/20% BEEF PATTIES 6/1R
• (#2668) BEEF CHUCK PATTIES 7 OZ- 21#
• (#3075) *IQF* 85/15% PATTIES 4/1R USFI
• (#3090) ‘RPQ’ 85/15 PATTIES 160/4 OZ.
• (#3325) “RPQ” 90/10 BEEF PATTIES 40/4 OZ
• (#3350) 90/10% BEEF PATTIES 160/4 OZ.
• (#3450)SUPREMAS BEEF PATTIES 12/3#
• (#3519) *IQF* 4/1 SOY PATTIES 80/20%
• (#3520) *IQF* 5/1 SOY PATTIES 80/20%
• (#3522) *IQF* 6/1 SOY PATTIES 80/20%
• (#3675) BEEF SOY PATTIES RETAIL 6/5#
• (#3700) 73/27% RETAIL PATTIES – 12/3#
• (#3705) 73/27% RETAIL PATTIES – 6/5#
• (#3710) 73/27% RETAIL PATTIES – 8/3#
• (#3715) BIGGER VALLEY BURGER – 6/5#
• (#3725) 80/20 BIGGER BURGER 12/3#
• (#3751) 80/20% RETAIL PATTIES 12/3#
• (#3800) 85/15% RETAIL PATTIES – 12/3#
• (#3850) BLACK ANGUS BURGER 12/2# BOX
• (#3875) 93/7% BEEF PATTIES 12/3# RETAIL
• (#3880) SAFEWAY 73/27 RETAIL BOXES 8#
• (#3882) SAFEWAY 73/27 PATTIES 12/2.5#
• (#3883) SAFEWAY 80/20 PATTIES 12/2.5#
• (#4000) 73/27% GROUND BEEF 10/1#
• (#4001) 73/27% GROUND BEEF 20/2#
• (#4005) 73/27% GROUND BEEF – 40/1#
• (#4015) 73/27% GROUND BEEF 4/5#
• (#4020) 73/27% GROUND BEEF – 8/5#
• (#4030) 73/27% GROUND BEEF 4/10#
• (#4035) 73/27% GROUND BEEF 15/3#
• (#4300) 80/20% GROUND BEEF 10/1#
• (#4305) 80/20% GROUND BEEF – 40/1#
• (#4310) 80/20% GROUND BEEF 4/5#
• (#4315) 80/20% GROUND BEEF 8/5#
• (#4325) 80/20% GROUND BEEF – 4/10#
• (#4326)*FRESH** 80/20% GROUND BEEF 4/10#
• (#4328)80/20 GROUND BEEF 4/10# WHITE BOX
• (#4329) ‘RPQ’ 80/20% GROUND BEEF 4/10#
• (#4335)80/20% GROUND BEEF 2/5# – PRINTED
• (#4610) 85/15% GROUND BEEF 4/5#
• (#4615) 85/15% GROUND BEEF 8/5#
• (#4625) “RPQ” 85/15% GROUND BEEF 4/10#
• (#4630) 85/15% G B 4/10# CLEAR-generic
• <>(#4915) 90/10% GROUND BEEF – 8/5#
• (#4925) 90/10% GROUND BEEF 4/10# / WHITE
• (#4930) 90/10% G B 4/10# / CLEAR-generic
• (#4980) 93/7% GROUND BEEF 4/10#
• (2714) HEARST 80/20 PATTIES 5/1R -10#
• (2715) HEARST GROUND BEEF 12/1# RETAIL

E. coli food poisoning infections can lead to life-threatening complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (E.coli HUS) especially in children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems. Anyone who thinks they may have an E. coli infection from contaminated ground beef should visit a doctor immediately and get tested for the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The researchers conclusion:

Taken together, these data indicate that there are no clear food safety advantages to grass-fed beef products over conventional beef products.

Source: Jiayi Zhang, Samantha K. Wall, Li Xu, Paul D. Ebner, “Contamination Rates and Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria Isolated from “Grass-Fed” Labeled Beef Products,” Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. -Not available-, ahead of print. doi:10.1089/fpd.2010.0562.

The E coli ground beef recall involves packages with the establishment number “Est. 6116″ on the label and the meat was produced between May 3 and May 13, 2010. The ground beef products were distributed to retailers and government establishments for further processing in the Los Angeles area. The products include:

• Various pound packages of “MONTCLAIR MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF”
• Various pound packages of “MONTCLAIR MEAT CO. ALL BEEF PATTIES”

FSIS discovered the E. coli O157:H7 contamination in the meat through microbiological sampling. More detailed retail and distribution information will be posted here, if and when it becomes available.

E. coli is a serious foodborne illness that can cause serious gastrointestinal symptoms including severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. It can develop into more serious complications including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure and other serious, ongoing medical conditions. The food poisoning attorneys at Pritzker Olsen law firm have extensive experience representing victims of serious foodborne illnesses including E. coli O147:H7 and E. coli HUS. If you or a loved one suspect you’ve contracted and E. coli infection, be sure to visit the doctor and ask to be tested for that specific pathogen. Those sickened by foodborne illness may have a legal case against the food producers, distributors and others.

It started last week with an E. coli recall of fresh hamburger at a Winco-owned store in Modesto. Now the company is urging customers at all 70 of its stores in California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Nevada to avoid WinCo store-packaged ground beef with sale dates of March 28-April 9.

A USDA spokesman, Neil Gaffney, told the Modesto Bee newspaper that the agency has launched a traceback investigation involving WinCo’s suppliers to determine where the ground beef E. coli contamination first occurred. It is illegal in the United States to sell ground beef contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, which Congress has declared an adulterant.

No confirmed illnesses have been associated with the recall, but health officials are urging WinCo ground beef customers to see a physician immediately if they suffer bloody stools, severe cramps, diarrhea and other E. coli symptoms.

Currently FSIS acknowledges that its traceback investigations are less robust when there is no outbreak of illness associated with a positive test result at a further processing plant. 

FSIS said its plan is to speed up and expand efforts to find the original source of contamination and any other contaminated products when E coli O157:H7 is found in routine ground beef testing.

Under the new protocol, traceback investigations will begin immediately when FSIS gets a preliminary or “presumptive” finding of E. coli in routine testing of ground beef. That will provide  investigators a  two-day jump. The current approach is to wait 48 hours for the presumptive test to be confirmed.

“We intend to identify all affected product and the potential suppliers earlier in the process and to respond more rapidly to protect the public health,” FSIS official Judy Riggins said at the meeting.

Riggins said that if the sample of contaminated ground beef  included materials from several suppliers, inspectors will go to all suppliers.

Dr. Daniel Engeljohn of FSIS said at the meeting last month that the issue is the degree to which the agency traces the source ofE. coli when samples test positive.

“It is a difference in how we do it with an investigation related to illness,” Engeljohn said. ” What we announced today is a substantive change to more thoroughly investigate traceback to the slaughter supplier more so than what we do today.”

The change, however, will not stop Montana Senator John Tester from proceeding with a bill that would require the FSIS to trace E. coli contamination to the original source — not just the butcher shop or processing facility that sold trimmings to a grinding plant. He has maintained that investigations stop before they get to the original slaughter facility where E. coli  most likely was introduced.

E. coli O157:H7 is a dangerous human pathogen that grows harmlessly in the guts of cattle. The organisms exit in manure that can lodge on an animal’s hide. At slaughter, it can flake off the hide and contaminate meat. It’s also possible for E. coli to splatter onto cuts of meat if intestines are cut.

Cooking meat to 160 degrees kills E. coli, but temperatures don’t always reach that high inside a ground beef hamburger or meatball, especially when hamburgers are cooked on a grill. Color is not an indicator of doneness.

Once consumed, E. coli O157:H7 microbes emit a powerful toxin that causes extremely painful stomach cramps, nausea, fever and diarrhea, often bloody. In five to 15 percent of cases, patients develop life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) orthrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). In a given year, about 60 Americans will die fromE. coli and more than 70,000 are hospitalized.

Taylor’s Maid Rite makes sandwiches with loose ground beef, sloppy joe style. Against state health code, the Marshalltown restaurant places raw ground beef  in the same vessel holding cooked meat that is scooped onto sandwiches.

Even though the CEO of Maid-Rite Corp. says the old-time method is unsafe, the owner of the Marshalltown Maid-Rite is asking to be exempt from having to convert to a method that would prevent E. coli cross-contamination.

One of the restaurant’s advocates is Representative Mark Smith, a Democrat from Marshalltown, who says he eats at the restaurant frequently. The chain has a long history dating to the 1920s and has not been connected in the past with any ground beef E. coli outbreak.

But quaint notions about preserving old-fashioned kitchen methods are foolish when E. coli contamination is even a remote possibility. E. coli O157:H7 is nothing to toy with. The pathogen kills an estimated 60 people a year in the United States and ground beef is the most common vehicle for transmission. Restaurants don’t control the slaughter process that leads to E. coli contamination in beef and even if every batch of meat is tested for the pathogen, tests are not foolproof.

Even when death is not the outcome, more than 5 percent of the approximately 70,000 people a year who fall victim to E. coli infection develop a complication known as HUS E. coli, or hemolytic uremic syndrome. The microbes of E. coli emit a powerful toxin that attack red blood cells and HUS commonly results in kidney failure and can cause paralysis, stroke, heart problems  and other long-term health problems. Children are more likely to become victims of  HUS E coli than adults.

E. coli infection also is associated with a similarly dangerous condition known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura , or TTP, more common in adults.

Iowa legislators should listen to the scientific advice of state health officials who have testified against the measure that would allow this dangerous set-up at certain Maid-Rites to continue.