Beef Products Recalled due to E.Coli
First, it was Nestle Tollhouse’s frozen cookie dough. Over the weekend, another food product was pulled out of retail stores due to suspected contamination from E. coli. A meat company based in Colorado expanded a recall of its beef products due to a possible contamination by the bacteria E. Coli O157:H7. A total of 18 illnesses are suspected to be linked to the beef, as revealed by the company as well as by the US Agriculture Department.
JBS-Swift Co. is based in Greeley, Colorado, and distributes beef both locally and internationally. The company voluntarily issued a recall on various beef products produced on April 21 and 22 last June 24. The initial recall was for more than 40,000 pounds of beef, but with the expansion, the amount will reach more than 420,000 pounds.
According to foodconsumer.org, the products in question were shipped and distributed by the company to retailers and distributors in states that included Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin. Some of the products were also reportedly distributed to clients abroad.
A spokesperson from the company, Chandler Keys, reportedly said yesterday that the contamination may have been caused by further processing done by clients on the meat. The products distributed by JBS are usually destined for use in roasts and steaks as opposed to ground beef, according to the USDA. There may be a chance, though, that some companies processed the meat as ground products.
Information provided on the E. Coli strain O157:H7 show that the bacteria produces toxins that can severely damage the lining of the large intestine. The bacteria causes an acute disease called hemorrhagic colitis, which usually causes symptoms that include abdominal cramps, diarrhea that initially will be watery but has the potential to become bloody, and vomiting. Most at risk are children, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems.
