Montclair Meat Ground Beef Tainted With E. coli O157:H7
More than 50,000 pounds of potentially E. coli-tainted ground beef products are being recalled by Montclair Meat Co., Inc, of Montclair, California, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
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.
Montclair Meat Ground Beef E. coli Recall
Montclair Meat Co., Inc., a Montclair, Calif., establishment is recalling approximately 53,000 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The products subject to recall include:
- Various pound packages of “MONTCLAIR MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF”
- Various pound packages of “MONTCLAIR MEAT CO. ALL BEEF PATTIES”
Each package bears establishment number “Est. 6116″ inside the USDA mark of inspection. These ground beef products were produced between the dates of May 3, 2010 through May 13, 2010, and were shipped to retailers and federal establishments for further processing in the Los Angeles, California, metropolitan area.
The problem was discovered through FSIS microbiological sampling. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.
Recalled WinCo Beef Sold in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington
California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director Dr. Mark Horton has warned consumers not to eat ground beef products being recalled by WinCo Food stores. The recalled ground beef may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a dangerous pathogen that can cause hemolytic anemia, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and thrombotic thrombocytopenic pupura (TTP).
The recalled ground beef was sold at WinCo Food stores in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The ground beef is packaged in Styrofoam trays and the packaging is marked with sale dates from March 28 to April 9.
Earlier this month WinCo recalled some ground beef products sold by its Modesto store after two surveillance samples tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Friday, an additional surveillance sample tested positive for E. Coli 0157:H7. No illnesses have been linked to the recalled ground beef products at this time.
The CDPH warns:
Consumers with recalled products should either throw the product away or return it to the point of purchase for a refund. Under no circumstances, should consumers eat this recalled beef.
CDC Updates Information on Fairbank Ground Beef Recall Associated With E. coli Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a revised statement Tuesday with updated information on the number of E. coli O157:H7 cases related to Saturday’s recall of 545,699 pounds of ground beef by Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms.
Why Won’t USDA Mandate E. coli Beef Trim Tests?
By Brendan Flaherty
Of all the revelations made by New York Times reporter Michael Moss in his excellent food safety story last Sunday, the one that jumped off the page the most was a quote from a safety officer at American Foodservice, a company that grinds one million pounds of hamburger a day.
The officer, Timothy P. Biela, said big slaughterhouses won’t sell beef trimmings to grinding plants if the plants test incoming shipments for E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly pathogen that was banned from finished ground beef in 1994.
“They would not sell to us,” Biela said. “If I test and it’s positive, I put them in a regulatory situation. So we don’t do that.”
What he is saying is that the big slaughterhouses are wary that a positive E. coli test at a grinding plant would trigger huge recalls of meat sold to others plants as well. It’s a dangerous industry practice and the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), the agency in charge of ensuring meat safety, has been looking the other way.
In fact, the FSIS has the power to change this, but they choose not to. Why? The practice only protects unsanitary slaughterhouses. Dr. Kenneth Petersen, an assistant administrator with FSIS, told the Times that his department could mandate testing, but that it needed to consider the impact on companies as well as consumers.
“I have to look at the entire industry, not just what is best for public health,” Petersen said.
Amazing stuff, especially when you consider the bottom line of the Times’ story: Eating ground beef is still a gamble — one that can cost lives when E. coli O157:H7 infections develop into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) – which happens in five to 10 percent of all cases. In the prime example of the Times story, a Minnesota dance instructor was paralyzed from the waist down after eating a hamburger produced by Cargill that was laden with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 in a 2007 outbreak that sickened more than 900 people.
The story traced the ingredients that went into the contaminated, frozen patties made by Cargill. The “Angus Beef Patties,” as labeled, were actually made from cheap, low-grade trimmings and scraps that came from cow parts that were more likely to come in contact with feces during slaughter than more expensive cuts. The fatty ingredients came from slaughter plants in Nebraska, Texas, Uruguay and South Dakota and were mixed together to make frozen patties. The South Dakota ingredients had been treated with ammonia to kill bacteria, the story said.
In 2008, the USDA issued draft guidelines to slaughterhouses and grinders saying every production lot should be sampled and tested fore leaving the supplier and again at the receiver. But after the draft guideline received negative reaction from industry, the guidelines were never made official.
What could be more important than guarding public health? Isn’t that the ultimate consideration with food? After reading the New York Times story, the truth is that money sometimes comes first.
If you or a loved one has been sickened in a ground beef E. coli outbreak, contact national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. We have collected tens of millions for victims of food poisoning and we also are dedicated to the prevention of pathogenic outbreaks. For more information, call a food safety lawyer at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). To receive a free case consultation, , complete one of our online forms.
