Health Law

Deli Turkey, Ham, Ground Beef Recalled for E. coli

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced Friday that the Hamilton Corner Meat Market is recalling all in-store ground beef, in-store sliced deli turkey and in-store sliced ham sold on Sept. 29 for potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination.  

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker announced that the meat products being recalled by the meat market, which is located at 1 Hamilton Place, New York, New York, were all sold per order from the meat department and were coded with the date of purchase.  

The Hamilton Corner Meat Market voluntarily closed its deli and meat processing sections after laboratory analysis conducted at the New York State Food Lab showed the E. coli contamination on meat samples collected from the market.  Food inspectors seized and destroyed all non-prepackaged products in the meat case on Oct. 8.

Commissioner Hooker is urging consumers who purchased the recalled deli turkey, ham, or ground beef from the market to discard the product or to return it to the Hamilton Corner Meat Market.

No illnesses have been reported in association with the consumption of these products. 

E. coli

E. coli O157:H7 is the source of an estimated 73,000 illnesses, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 60 deaths in the United States every year.

E. coli infection typically occurs 2 to 4 days after ingestion of E. coli bacteria and is characterized by the sudden onset of abdominal pain and severe cramps, followed within 24 hours by diarrhea.  As the diarrheal illness progresses, diarrhea becomes watery and then may become grossly bloody - bloody to the naked eye.  Vomiting and fever can sometimes be symptoms.

In most infected individuals, the intestinal illness lasts about a week and resolves without any long-term problems, but about 5 to 10 percent of infected individuals develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe, life-threatening complication of E. coli O157:H7 bacterial infection that can lead to kidney failure and central nervous system impairment.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on October 09, 2010 (boomark / email).