Thread: Kroger expands ground beef recall

Kroger expands ground beef recall
By TERRY KINNEY, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 2, 6:10 PM ET

CINCINNATI - The Kroger Co. expanded its voluntary recall of some ground beef products beyond stores in Michigan and parts of Ohio to its stores in more than 20 states on Wednesday.

The nation's biggest traditional grocer also urged customers to check the ground beef in their refrigerators and freezers for the date by which the product must be sold.

Meat obtained from one of Kroger's suppliers, Nebraska Beef Ltd., has been linked to illness reported in Michigan and Ohio between May 31 and June 8 caused by the E. coli bacteria.

Nebraska Beef has recalled from wholesalers and other processing companies nearly 532,000 pounds of ground beef produced on five dates between May 16 and June 24.

Kroger said Wednesday that as a precaution it had removed ground beef supplied by Nebraska Beef from its stores, and is expanding the recall to its stores in more than 20 states. "Ground beef in stores today comes from other suppliers not involved in the recall," Kroger spokeswoman Meghan Glynn said Wednesday.

The Cincinnati-based company advised customers to look for "sell buy" dates from mid-May through early July on most ground beef products they have previously purchased from its stores and return them.

Kroger initiated the recall June 25 for Kroger stores in Michigan and in central and northern Ohio. The expanded recall includes ground beef sold at Fred Meyer, QFC, Ralphs, Smith's, Baker's, King Soopers, City Markets, Hilander, Owen's, Pay Less and Scott's in more than 20 states as well.

In some stores, the recall includes products in Styrofoam tray packages wrapped in clear cellophane or purchased from an in-store service counter. It does not include ground beef sold in sealed tubes in one, three or five-pound packages and frozen ground beef patties sold in the frozen food section of its stores.

Kroger is notifying customers about the expanded recall by placing signs in stores in meat departments. It also is using its register receipt notification system.

Symptoms of E. coli infection can include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Most people recover within 5 to 7 days.

Health officials urge people to thoroughly cook hamburger and, if possible, use a digital thermometer to make sure meat has been heated to at least 160 degrees.

They also recommend that people wash their hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.

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Consumers who have questions about the recall may contact Kroger toll-free at (800) 632-6900 or online at http://www.kroger.com/recalls.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080702/...V0gZ0OiHis0NUE

On the Net: USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service: http://www.fsis.usda.gov

U.S. Centers for Disease Control E. coli site: http://cdc.gov/ecoli

Nebraska Beef recalls about 532,000 pounds of beef
Tue Jul 1, 9:54 AM ET

OMAHA, Neb. - Nebraska Beef Ltd. is recalling nearly 532,000 pounds of ground beef produced in the last two months because the meat has been linked to an outbreak of E. coli illnesses.

The federal government said late Monday that some of the Omaha-based company's beef was sold by grocer Kroger Co., and investigators traced the meat to Nebraska Beef after 35 people in Ohio and Michigan became ill. Kroger already recalled beef it sold in those states.

Much of the beef that Nebraska Beef is recalling was sold to wholesalers or other processing companies, so it may be difficult for consumers to determine if they have any of the beef.



On the Net: USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service: http://www.fsis.usda.gov

Details about the recalls are available at the USDA site, http://www.fsis.usda.gov.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080701/...O.e6ZcgYqWwvIE

Nebraska Beef Ltd. recall now 5.3 million pounds
By JOSH FUNK, AP Business Writer
Thu Jul 3, 7:58 PM ET

OMAHA, Neb. - Nebraska Beef Ltd. is expanding a recall announced earlier this week to include all 5.3 million pounds of meat it produced for ground beef between May 16 and June 26.

Federal investigators have linked Nebraska Beef's products to an outbreak of E. coli illnesses affecting 41 people in Michigan and Ohio.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement Thursday that it concluded Nebraska Beef's production practices were insufficient to effectively control E. coli bacteria.

"The products subject to recall may have been produced under insanitary conditions," the government said.

All the beef being recalled was sold to wholesalers and distributors for further processing so consumer labels likely will not include the "EST 19336" code that identifies Nebraska Beef.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that E. coli sickens about 73,000 people and kills 61 each year in the United States. Most of those who die have weak immune systems, such as the elderly or very young.

Nebraska Beef spokesman Bill Lamson did not respond to a message left Thursday afternoon.

USDA spokesman Roger Sockman said investigators traced the meat back to Nebraska Beef after finding two samples of beef that tested positive for E. coli at processing plants that bought meat from Nebraska Beef.

Sockman said investigators then visited Nebraska Beef's plant and found "unacceptable high levels of E. coli." Sockman said he did not know any other details.

Some Nebraska Beef products were sold by grocer Kroger Co. Kroger has recalled ground beef products in more than 20 states because the meat may have been contaminated.

At least two lawsuits tied to this E. coli outbreak already have been filed against Nebraska Beef and Kroger.

Attorney Fred Pritzker filed one of the lawsuits on behalf of a 20-year-old Ohio man who became ill with E. coli after eating ground beef from a Kroger store.

On Monday, Nebraska Beef announced plans to recall 531,707 pounds of beef trim produced on five different dates between May 16 and June 24.

Now the recall includes all beef trimmings and other products intended for use in ground beef the company produced between May 16 and June 26.

But Sockman said the recall does not include any of the other products produced at the plant.

The company said Monday that beef involved in the original recall went to businesses in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Thursday's release did not specify whether the 5.3 million pounds now being recalled went to any additional states.

The company's Omaha plant typically slaughters about 1,000 head of cattle per day.

Cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees should kill E. coli bacteria, if they are present. The USDA recommends that consumers use a meat thermometer while cooking to verify they have cooked meat thoroughly.

Twenty-two people have been hospitalized since the first case of E. coli linked to the beef was identified May 30, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person has developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

The E. coli 0157:H7 variant can cause severe illness and even death in humans. Symptoms of E. coli infection include stomach cramps and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080703/...tsTUALE2Fa24cA


On the Net:
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service: http://www.fsis.usda.gov

U.S. Centers for Disease Control E. coli site: http://cdc.gov/ecoli

E. coli linked to beef now reported in 5 states
Tue Jul 15, 6:58 PM ET

ATLANTA - An E. coli outbreak traced to recalled beef in Michigan and Ohio has spawned cases in three other states, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.

New York, Kentucky and Indiana each have one lab-confirmed case of a bacterial infection that matches the 41 previously reported cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The outbreak has been traced to beef sold in Kroger supermarkets in Michigan and Ohio. The Kroger Co. last month recalled ground beef sold in Michigan and Ohio stores, then this month expanded it to include other states. Nebraska Beef Ltd. supplied the meat, ultimately recalling 5.3 million pounds of beef.

The Kentucky patient lives near Ohio, but the New York and Indiana patients did not travel to either of the states where the outbreak began, said Mark Sotir, a CDC investigator working on the outbreak.

All 44 illnesses in the outbreak are attributed to the same type of E. coli, one that causes a potentially deadly bacterial infection. The illnesses began between May 30 and June 24. CDC officials say 21 of the victims have been hospitalized and one developed kidney failure, but no one has died.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080715/...c8AZdwA7Ws0NUE

On the Net: The CDC's E. coli site: http://cdc.gov/ecoli