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.”

• 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.

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.

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.

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?

The undersecretary’s comments coincide with an ongoing state and federal investigation of an E. coli steak outbreak associated with blade-tenderized steaks that the USDA says has sickened at least 21 people in 16 states. There are confirmed E. coli steak illnesses in Michigan, Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas and Washington.

The outbreak prompted a National Steak and Poultry E. coli recall of 248,000 pounds of steak, sirloin tips, beef medallions, boneless trim and other products that the USDA says were sold to restaurants and hotels across the country. The company has said the products recalled for possible E. coli contamination were primarily sold to Moe’s Southwest Grill, Carino’s Italian Grill and KRM restaurants in the six states where there are confirmed outbreak cases of E. coli.

The Post story quoted the USDA as saying the contamination “appears to have begun with tainted beef used for chopped steak that was “co-mingled” with other products” in National Steak and Poultry’s plant in Owasso, Oklahoma. Nine of the 21 people sickened in the outbreak have been hospitalized, the newspaper reported.

The restaurant steak E. coli outbreak and recall has triggered renewed calls by food safety organizations for USDA to mandate that the industry label beef cuts that are mechanically tenderized in any way — including with blades, needles or injections of brine and other flavorings. Fred Pritzker, founder of national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, has been one of those voices — saying USDA didn’t go far enough in 1999 when it banned the sale of any mechanically tenderized beef cuts contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

Pritzker said that’s because testing of so-called non-intact steaks is far from foolproof and without any written warning to consumers that a cut of beef has been mechanically pierced, most people assume it is intact and can be safely cooked rare or medium. But it can’t. Mechanical tenderization drives surface E. coli into the meat center, where it can survive unless cooked well. On intact cuts of beef, flames and heat readily kill E. coli  because it’s on the meat surface.

The largest of the 15 recalls from USDA-inspected slaughter and grinding plants covered 545,699 pounds of ground beef produced this fall by Fairbank Farms of Ashville, N.Y.

Multi-state E. coli outbreaks associated with these recalls killed at least three people and sickened at least 80, according to the records. The outbreaks resulted in at least 34 hospitalizations and eight confirmed cases of life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disease especially dangerous to children that causes kidney failure and many other serious health conditions.

Since January 2007, the industry has initiated at least 52 recalls of beef tainted with E. coli O157:H7 compared with 20 in the three previous years, according to the New York Times.

“This data points to the need for sweeping change in the way food safety is regulated in this country,” Fred Pritzker, founder and president of Pritzker Olsen, said in a news release. ”While I agree we cannot ‘test’ our way out of this situation, the current regulatory schemes incentivize producers not to test their product. This is wrong and dangerous and needs to changed.”

At least 24 people from nine states were infected by the same strain of E. coli that Michigan public health investigators found in ground beef produced by JBS Swift Beef Co. There was an initial recall of 41,280 pounds, but it was soon widened to include 380,000 pounds of the product.

A smaller ground beef E. coli outbreak killed a 7-year-old Cleveland girl. Ohio health investigators associated her death with contaminated ground beef from Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Ill., which recalled 95,898 pounds of potentially tainted hamburger meat in May that had been delivered to restaurants.

Another isolated but disturbing hamburger E. coli outbreak occurred in October at a nature camp in Plymouth, Mass. In that case, more than 20 children and chaperons from a middle school in Rhode Island were sickened by contaminated ground beef traced to a meat packer in Brockton, Mass.

The Fairbank Farms recall was associated with an outbreak that killed two people and sickened 26. Records show 19 people were hospitalized and five developed HUS.

Lower-quality cuts of meat are often injected with ingredients, such as brine, to enhance a steak’s flavor and tenderness. However, if the brine is contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, it can then contaminate a steak into which it is injected.

These injections and mechanical tenderizing techniques may enhance flavor but can be dangerous to consumers when brine is contaminated and when meat isn’t cooked well.

About 94 percent of surveyed meat processors use similar methods to “mechanically tenderize” meat, according to a 2003 study cited by a Colorado State University report.

Prior to 1999, it was thought that only ground beef should be tested for E. coli, until the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service expanded testing to “non-intact” beef such as cuts of steak. Since then, five out of six foodborne E. coli outbreaks associated with non-intact beef have involved moisture-enhanced steaks, according to the Colorado State University report.

Pritzker Olsen attorneys have been contacted by E. coli O157:H7 survivors about this outbreak. If you believe you or a loved one have suffered damages from this potential  E. coli O157:H7 outbreak or know anything about it, please contact us immediately.

“This public meeting provides an opportunity for FDA to collaborate more closely with FSIS as well as with members of the food industry, many of whom have been making important innovations in food safety practices and technology, and all of whom bear primary responsibility for producing and marketing safe food,” said Michael R. Taylor, senior advisor to FDA’s Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D.

The announcement comes in the wake of a multistate outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 that struck 26 people in late October and early November, killing two and hospitalizing others. The illnesses are associated with more than half a million pounds of ground beef that was recalled Oct. 31 by Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms. Just days earlier, another recall of about 1,000 pounds of beef from a Massachusetts firm was associated with several cases of E. coli 0157:H7 in a group of Rhode Island school children.

Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker supports the FSIS and FDA in their recognition that it is vital to improve America’s faltering food safety system by addressing gaps in food product tracing and mandating testing and inspection at all points along the food supply chain. “Families should not have to worry about whether the food on their dinner table, be it hamburgers or salad, is contaminated with E. coli,” Pritzker said. “There are clear measures government officials can take to mitigate that risk.”

There are many strains of E. coli bacteria that are categorized into more than 170 serogroups, which in turn are broken down into one or more serotypes. The E. coli strain primarily responsible for E. coli-related injury and death is classified as Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli 0157:H7). The harmful pathogen can do severe damage to the intestinal lining and can also result in hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States.

Those interested in attending the public meeting can pre-register online and consumer inquiries may be directed to: 888-INFO-FDA.

To date, CDC reports 26 cases of E. coli O157:H7 associated with the recalled Fairbank Farms ground beef products.  The states involved in this outbreak include California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

Attorney Fred Pritzker, a national food safety lawyer, calls on Fairbank Farms to pay the medical expenses incurred by these E. coli victims:

“Eating a hamburger should not be a high-risk activity,” said Pritzker. “This outbreak was preventable.  Fairbank Farms should take responsibility for the harm caused by its ground beef products and immediately pay the medical expenses of those sickened while legal cases are being resolved.”

Health officials found E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef recovered from an infected person’s home that matched the outbreak-strain of E. coli O157:H7 that sickened people in this outbreak, according to the CDC:

Health officials in several states who were investigating a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses, with isolates that match by “DNA fingerprinting” analyses [PFGE analysis], found that most ill persons had consumed ground beef, with several purchasing the same or similar product from a common retail chain.  At least some of the illnesses appear to be associated with products subject to these recalls.  A sample from an opened package of ground beef recovered from a patient’s home was tested by the Massachusetts Department of Health and yielded an E. coli O157:H7 isolate that matched the patient isolates by DNA analysis.

E. coli O157:H7 emits a powerful Shiga toxin that attacks red blood cells in humans. Its effects can range from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to death and people who have weakened or underdeveloped immune systems — especially children under 5 and adults over 60 — are most vulnerable.

Two people have died in this outbreak, and 16 people have been hospitalized.  Of those hospitalized, three developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. This is a life-threatening complication of E. coli O157:H7 infection that kills more than 4 percent of its victims. Even when it’s not fatal, patients often suffer life-long health consequences. HUS is the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States.

“The people sickened in this outbreak and their families should not be burdened with medical bills while Fairbank Farms fights over other issues, such as compensation for pain and suffering,” stated Pritzker.  “Paying the medical expenses immediately is the least Fairbank Farms can do.”

Pritzker Olsen is one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of E. coli litigation. For more information, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or email Attorney Fred Pritzker.