Personal Injury Law

825,000 Pounds of Salmonella Beef Recalled

By Jane Akre

Salmonella Newport

Safeway Stores, the large grocer of the western U.S., is recalling more than 825,000 pounds of ground beef because of a suspected link to Salmonella.

The meat, sold as ground beef, beef patties, and fresh meat loaf, was distributed in nine states and sold between June 6 and July 14, reports the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

It was processed by a subsidiary of Cargill, Inc. Beef Packers, Inc., and has a case code number, "EST. 31913."

The products were repackaged and sold under different retail names.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment notified the USDA's food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the outbreak.

The states included in the recall are - Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming. So far, Colorado officials have reported that 21 people have been sickened, four of them requiring hospitalization.

Most became ill during late June and early July. It can take two weeks for cases to be reported, so it's possible more cases could come forward.

The strain of Salmonella is Newport, which is drug-resistant to some drugs that kill bacteria. It can be life threatening if it makes its way into a person's bloodstream. Most people recover without any treatment in four to seven days.

S. newport is listed as one of the top ten most frequently identified Salmonella in U.S. cattle and one of the few diseases increasing in prevalence, according to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL).

In 2002, the CDC reported on outbreaks of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Newport in the U.S.

The ground beef would not still be in stores, but may in home freezers. The meat should be thrown out or returned to the store for a full refund.

Salmonella is a common bacterium responsible for food-borne illnesses caused by salmonellosis. Symptoms include fever, chills, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea and effects an estimated 1.4 million Americans every year.

Safeway can be reached at 1-800-SAFEWAY or visit their Web site. #

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on August 07, 2009 (boomark / email).