Maine E. coli Ground Beef Investigation
A Maine E. coli ground beef investigation traced E. coli 026 illnesses in Maine and New York to Cargill ground beef recalled early today in conjunction with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
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.”
Wegman’s Supermarkets Recalls Bison Products Due to Possible E. coli Contamination
On July 2, the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) announced the recall of about 66,0000 pounds of bison products processed by Rocky Mountain Natural Meats, a Colorado firm. When available, USDA-FSIS publishes a list of retailers to which recalled products were distributed. The USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) list of retailers selling recalled bison products processed by Rocky Mountain Natural Meats includes the following:
- Hannaford’s
- King Soopers
- Market Basket
- Price Choppers
- Whole Foods
The list is incomplete. Wegman’s Supermarkets recalled two of the recalled bison products it sold at their stores:
- Great Range Buffalo Sirloin Steaks, 12 oz., UPC 16447-10226 Only product with sell or freeze-by date of June 20, 23, or 24, 2010
- Great Range Ground Bison, 16 oz., UPC 16447 10090 Only product with a sell or freeze-by date of June 21, 22, or 24, 2010
The Rocky Mountain Natural Meat products were recalled because they may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7.
The possible contamination was discovered by USDA-FSIS during the course of an on-going investigation into a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Colorado with illness onset dates between June 4, 2010 and June 9, 2010. FSIS determined that there is an association between the ground bison products and the cluster of illnesses in the state of Colorado and an additional illness in New York.
Rocky Mountain Natural Meats Recall of Bison Products Due to E coli Outbreak in Colorado and New York
Rocky Mountain Natural Meats, a Henderson, Colorado establishment, is recalling approximately 66,000 pounds of ground and tenderized steak bison products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
FSIS became aware of the problem during the course of an on-going investigation into a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Colorado with illness onset dates between June 4, 2010 and June 9, 2010. Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the New York Department of Health, 5 case-patients have been identified in Colorado as well as 1 case-patient in New York with an indistinguishable PFGE pattern. FSIS determined that there is an association between the ground bison products and the cluster of illnesses in the state of Colorado. FSIS is continuing to work with the CDC, affected state public health partners, and the company on the investigation. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should contact a health care provider.
The following products are subject to recall:
- 16-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL GROUND BISON.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 21, June 22 or June 24, 2010.
- 16-ounce packages of “NATURE’S RANCHER GROUND BUFFALO.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 22, 2010.
- 16-ounce packages of “THE BUFFALO GUYS ALL NATURAL GROUND BUFFALO 90% LEAN.” These products have a lot number of 0147.
- 12-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL BISON STEAK MEDALLIONS.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 23 and June 24, 2010
- 12-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL BISON SIRLOIN STEAKS.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 20, June 23 and June 24, 2010
- 15-pound boxes of “ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATURAL MEATS, INC. BISON 10 OZ SIRLOIN STEAK.” These products went to restaurants and bear a Julian Code of 0141.
The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 20247” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These products were produced between the dates of May 21, 2010 through May 27, 2010, and were distributed to retail establishments nationwide and food service distributors in Utah and Arizona. While the sell-by dates for these products have passed, FSIS and the establishment are aware that consumers may also freeze the product before use and there is concern that some product may still be frozen and in consumers’ freezers.
E. coli Raw Milk Minnesota Outbreak Investigation Grows
A Minnesota E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk has state health officials digging deeper into the investigation of how at least eight people became sick, and how to prevent the outbreak from growing, according to local news sources.
The E. coli raw milk outbreak has been linked to Hartmann Farm dairy in Gibbon, Minnesota and has sickened at least 8 people. At least one of the cases has developed into a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or E. coli HUS. This occurs when the E. coli infection damages the blood cells, causing serious kidney problems and in some cases, death.
Since state health investigators from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Minnesota State Health Department (MDH) began investigating the farm on May 26, they have returned to confiscate records and collect samples from Hartmann Farm owner Michael Hartmann. At the beginning of the investigation, health officials stated the strain of E. coli found at the Hartmann farm matched the strain found in the outbreak victims. Later, according to news sources:
“State investigators went back to the Michael Hartmann farm in Gibbon a second time last Wednesday to collect more samples, confiscate financial records, and document what they allege are unsanitary conditions on the farm.”
Throughout the investigation, officials have pointed to a number of concerns about the farm and its production process, including unsanitary conditions due mostly to manure contamination, and milking facilities that investigators called “filthy.” Officials took photos and collected more testing samples on a June 16 search of the farm, and confiscated Hartmann’s financial and production records, which officials believe will show Hartmann was producing and selling foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and meat all in violation of food safety laws.
Steak Safety: The Straight Story
E. coli in steak: What you need to know
Is it always safe to eat a steak served rare? Seems like a simple question.
But a Dec. 24 National Steak and Poultry recall of almost 250,000 pounds of blade-tenderized beef forced consumers and health officials to reevaluate the question—especially after government agencies associated the recalled beef with 21 cases of E. coli in 16 states.
Typically, ground beef comes to mind when considering meat that could be tainted with E. coli. But this outbreak involved blade-tenderized, or what health officials call “non-intact” beef, which included steaks, beef medallions and sirloin tips. “Blade-tenderized” or “non-intact” refers to meat that has been punctured with needles or blades to break down the tissue and make a tougher cut of muscle more tender. Any pathogen (like E. coli) on the surface of the beef is normally killed in the cooking process if the beef is intact. But the mechanical tenderization process drives pathogens inside the beef. If it isn’t cooked until the internal temperature reaches at least 140 degrees, the beef could still contain the pathogen.
Government officials and industry groups offer mixed advice on what consumers should do. The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods determined in 2002 that non-intact beef can indeed harbor infective amounts of E. coli, but that following the 140-degree rule will put you in the clear. A 2002 risk assessment by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) concluded there is almost no difference in risk of illness from intact versus non-intact steaks.
And yet there have been several E. coli outbreaks since then involving mechanically tenderized meat. This has put the spotlight on the issue of labeling. If non-intact steak must be cooked a certain way to guarantee its safety, then shouldn’t consumers have the right to know whether their steak is intact so they can cook it accordingly? That was the recommendation issued in a 2005 study by the Minnesota Department of Health following a 2003 outbreak of E. coli associated with blade-tenderized frozen steaks sold by door-to-door salesmen. In light of the National Steak and Poultry outbreak, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro called for labeling of non-intact steaks, stating “USDA has been aware of the E. coli risks associated with mechanically tenderized steaks as early as 1999, but has refused to act…consumers should be made fully aware of the products they are receiving so they can assure that they are cooked at the appropriate temperature.”
Furthermore, does this mean every time we eat at a restaurant, we should order our steak cooked to an internal temperature of 140 degrees? The National Restaurant Association in 2000 decided that restaurant patrons asking for rare- or medium-cooked steak should be informed that non-intact steaks should be cooked to at least 145 degrees to ensure safety. But when is the last time your server told you that?
