About 14,158 pounds of ground beef products are being recalled by Creekstone Farms Premium Beef of Arkansas City, Kansas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) just announced. The beef might be contaminated with the dangerous, sometimes deadly E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.
The recall is considered a Class I, which means that this recall refers to health hazard situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of the recalled product “in this case, recalled beef” will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
Each defective beef case label bears the establishment number “EST. 27” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These products were produced on February 22, 2011 and were shipped to firms in Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington State further processing and/or distribution. Of note, these recalled products may have been repackaged into consumer-size packages and sold under different retail brand names. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on FSIS’ website. Creekstone Farm’s vice president of marketing, Jim Rogers, can be reached at 1.620.741.3352. The defective beef products involved include:
• Approximately 40-pound cases of “BEEF FINE GRIND 81/19 NATURAL,” containing 10-pound chubs and with identifying product code “80185.”
• Approximately 40-pound cases of “BEEF CHUCK FINE GRIND 81/19 NATURAL,” containing 10-pound chubs and with identifying product code “80285.”
• Approximately 40-pound cases of “BEEF SIRLOIN FINE GRIND 91/9 NATURAL,” containing 10-pound chubs and with identifying product code “80495.”
• Approximately 40-pound cases of “BEEF FINE GRIND 90/10 NATURAL,” containing 5-pound chubs and with identifying product code “85165.”
• Approximately 60-pound cases of “BEEF FINE GROUND 93/7,” containing 10-pound chubs and with identifying product code “86191.”
The E. coli contamination was discovered through third-party lab results, which confirmed a positive result for E. coli O157:H7. To date, no reports of illnesses have been reported; however, it can take some time for E. coli symptoms to manifest. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.
E. coli symptoms include bloody diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. In the most severe cases, kidney failure can occur. The very young, seniors, and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible. E. coli infection can lead to other adverse health effects, some long-term and serious, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and a form of reactive arthritis called Reiter’s Syndrome. Some victims require kidney transplants and may have scarred intestines that cause lasting digestive difficulty and some E. coli patients who supposedly recovered, can experience long-term health problems; about 10 percent of E. coli sufferers develop a life-threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, in which kidneys and other organs fail.
