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Safeway Warns Some Of Its Beef May Be Tainted

Drug-resistant strain of Salmonella found in western states

December 21, 2007

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Safeway says it has learned that some of its ground beef may be tainted with Salmonella. The company said it was informed of the potential threat by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to a company release, the ground beef in question would have entered the supply chain between September 19 and November 5. The products were sold in five western states - Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico.

Safeway says as far as it knows the investigation into the source of the contamination is still underway. To date investigators have been unable to pin down the source.

Safeway officials stress the salmonella threat is limited to frozen ground beef products. Fresh ground beef is not affected. The USDA, however, said the warning applies to fresh ground beef products that consmers may still have in their freezers.

The grocer said frozen ground beef purchased between September 19 and November 5 should be discarded.

The USDA said the alert follows investigations by the California, Arizona, Idaho and Nevada public health departments. It said 38 illnesses had been reported in those states.

The illnesses were linked through the epidemiological investigation by their rare PFGE pattern found in PulseNet, a database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The USDA said it could not identify specific establishments, lots and products that would be subject to a recall, and said there is no reason to believe the contminated beef products are still available in stors.

Drug-resistant

Safety tips

USDA issued these safety tips for consumers:

• Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Also wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water. Clean up spills right away.

• Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will not be cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and egg products and cooked foods.

• Cook raw meat and poultry to safe internal temperatures before eating. The safe internal temperature for meat such as beef and pork is 160° F, and 165° F for poultry, as determined with a food thermometer.

• Refrigerate raw meat and poultry within two hours after purchase (one hour if temperatures exceed 90° F). Refrigerate cooked meat and poultry within two hours after cooking.

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