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Nebraska Beef Recall Expanded to 5.3 Million Pounds

Feds blast Nebraska Beef's practices

July 4, 2008

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The ground beef recall, initiated after an outbreak of E. coli in Ohio and Michigan, has mushroomed to 5.3 million pounds of meat, as federal regulators have blasted the meat packing company responsible for the outbreak.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Services says Nebraska Beef, Ltd. uses production practices that "are insufficient to effectively control E. coli O157:H7 in their beef products that are intended for grinding.

The products subject to recall may have been produced under unsanitary conditions, the agency said.

The recall began June 25 when Kroger stores in Ohio and Michigan voluntarily recalled hamburger meat, in response to a number of illnesses. That led investigators to Nebraska Beef, which on June 30 recalled a half million pounds of ground beef, processed between May 16 and June 26.

FSIS says the expanded recall is based on its, and other agencies', ongoing epidemiological and traceback investigations. The products subject to recall were further processed into ground beef at other firms, and FSIS says they will likely not bear the establishment number "EST 19336" on products made available for direct consumer purchase.

FSIS is advising all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, and only consume ground beef or ground beef patties that have been cooked to a safe internal temperature of 160º F. The only way to be sure ground beef is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature.

Meanwhile, the epidemiological investigations and a case control study conducted by the Michigan and Ohio Departments of Agriculture and Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that there is an association between the ground beef products and 40 illnesses reported in Michigan and Ohio.

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

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure.

The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should see a physician promptly.

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