Around 167,277 pounds of fresh and frozen ground beef shipped to restaurants nationwide have been recalled due to possible E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Wednesday.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture notified the FSIS on Nov. 13 after a group of people in the state reported that they had consumed ground beef before getting sick, which prompted an investigation. The FSIS discovered a link between the ground beef products from Wolverine Packing Co., a meat distributor based in Detroit, and the illness cluster.
Wolverine Packing Co. started in 1937 as a small lamb and veal packer and eventually expanded into distributing the full spectrum of meat and frozen seafood products, according to the company website. The company is now in the third generation of family ownership with over 900 employees.
On Nov. 20, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture tested beef samples as part of an outbreak investigation and confirmed the presence of E. coli O157 in one, according to the news release. At least 15 cases have been reported in Minnesota, with illness onset dates from Nov. 2 to 10, the FSIS reported.
The affected products were shipped across the country, leaving the FSIS “concerned that some product may be in restaurant refrigerators or freezers.” The agency urged restaurants not to serve these products and to throw away or return the recalled products to the place of purchase.
The fresh products have a use-by date of Nov. 14 and the frozen products bear a production date of Oct. 22. All recalled products bear the establishment number “EST. 2574B” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The FSIS provided a list of all affected products and images of the impacted product labels included in the recall.
The agency advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and to only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 F.
E. Coli Symptoms
The severity of certain symptoms may depend on the type of E. coli that causes the infection. E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal cramps within two to eight days—or three to four days on average—after exposure to the organism, the agency said.
Most people who are infected recover within one week but, in extreme cases, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HUS is a medical emergency that can lead to kidney failure, permanent health problems, and even death. Symptoms include little or no urination, the loss of pink color in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids, unexplained bruising or rashes with tiny red spots, blood in urine, feelings of exhaustion or irritability, and decreased awareness, the CDC said.
The FSIS added that HUS can occur among persons of any age, but that it is most common in children under 5 years and in older adults. The agency advises people who experience these symptoms to contact a health care provider and seek emergency medical care immediately.