A surprising find by health officials has revealed a possibly dangerous contamination in ground beef, leading to quick action and a large recall across the country.
Detroit’s Wolverine Packing Co. has recalled around 167,277 pounds of ground beef due to worries about possible E. coli contamination. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced this recall on November 20, 2024.
The affected fresh ground beef has a “use by” date of November 14, 2024, while frozen products are labeled with an October 22, 2024 production date. These items were sent to restaurants nationwide.
Consumers can spot the products by looking for the establishment number “EST. 2574B” within the USDA inspection mark. The problem was discovered after Minnesota’s Department of Agriculture reported several people got sick from eating ground beef.
On November 13, FSIS was notified about these cases and worked with Minnesota’s Agriculture and Health Departments to trace the illnesses back to Wolverine Packing Co.’s products.
After testing a sample of the ground beef collected during an ongoing outbreak investigation, it tested positive for E. coli. The announcement on November 20 confirmed that this bacterium was found in Wolverine Packing Co.’s items.
So far, there have been reports of 15 cases in one state with illness onset dates between November 2 and November10. FSIS is actively working with Minnesota’s Agriculture and Health Departments to monitor this outbreak and protect public safety.
E.coli poses serious health risks; symptoms like bloody diarrhea, dehydration,and stomach cramps usually show up within two–eight days after exposure; most cases clear up within a week.
However sometimes infections can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is rare but can be life-threatening kidney failure especially for young kids or older adults who are more vulnerable to this issue.
Symptoms include easy bruising,pale skin,and less urine output so anyone noticing these signs should get medical help right away!
FSIS is worried that some contaminated products might still be sitting in restaurant fridges or freezers so businesses should not serve these items at all! Instead they need to throw them out or return them where they were bought immediately!
Consumers are also reminded how important it is too handle food properly & cook it right so as not too get sick from foodborne germs! FSIS suggests cooking ground beef until it reaches an internal temperature of160°F using a thermometer which kills harmful bacteria!
When handling food remember these key steps: Clean hands & surfaces often,separate raw meat from other foods,cook at safe temperatures,and refrigerate promptly!
E.coli bacteria naturally exist in many places including food,watter,and intestines of humans & animals.Most strains are harmless helping digestion but some can cause sickness.Infections may result in diarrhea urinary tract infections pneumonia or sepsis.People usually get infected by swallowing E.coli through contaminated food water contact with animals environments or other people
We previously mentioned that on Novemeber17,the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)and Food Drug Administration(FDA) warned everyone about an E.coli outbreak linked too organic carrots
They shared details about recalled products affected states case numbers symptoms& what people should do avoid getting sick
The CDC&FDA confirmed that this outbreak was connected too organic whole&baby carrots distributed by Grimmway Farms
Even though Grimmway Farms issued recalls on Novemeber16,some bagged carrots might still be at homes even if they’re gone from local stores
People should check their fridges for any brands of organic whole or baby carrots listed as recalled then throw them out or take them back
Businesses must also avoid selling such items & clean any surfaces that may have touched those recalled carrots
Grimmway Farms’ recall includes many brands like365,Bunny Luv ,Cal-Organic ,Compliments ,Full Circle ,Good & Gather ,GreenWise,& Marketside
Other names include Nature’s Promise,O-Organic,President’s Choice,Raley’s,Simpl Truth,Sprouts Trader Joe’s,Wegmans,& Wholesome Pantry.The baby organic carrot recalls have best-if-used-by dates ranging from September11toNovember12
Whole organic carrots didn’t list specific best-if-used-by dates but were sold between August14andOctober23.The same brands affected apply here as well
This E.coli outbreak has been confirmed across18 states with39 reported illnesses including15 hospitalizations&one death.Last illness onset happened October28
Affected states include Arkansas California Colorado Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri North Carolina New Jersey New York Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina Texas Virginia Washington Wyoming
Interviews done with27 individuals who got sick showed26(96%) had eaten carrots before feeling ill confirming links back too those recalled products
According too CDC case count map states likeMinnesota New York Washington see higher concentrations while others likeWyoming California Texas show more scattered cases
