CHICAGO (Reuters) - Agricultural giant Cargill Inc. said on
Saturday it is recalling over 1 million pounds of ground beef
distributed in the United States because of possible E. Coli
contamination.
Cargill Meat Solutions said the 1.084 million pounds (491,700 kg)
of ground beef was produced at the Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, facility
between October 8 and October 11, and distributed to retailers
across the country.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture returned a confirmed positive
for the E. coli bacteria on a sample produced on October 8, the
company said.
Symptoms of E. coli 0157:H7 illness, the strain associated with
the recall, include potentially severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and
dehydration. Children, the elderly and people with poor immune
systems are the must vulnerable.
"No illnesses have been associated with this product," John
Keating, president of Cargill Regional Beef, said in a statement.
"We are working closely with the USDA to remove the product from the
marketplace."
The recalled products have use/freeze-by dates of Oct 19 through
Nov 3. Most will have the USDA establishment number of EST 9400
inside the USDA mark of inspection.
In addition there are various weights and varieties of ground
beef distributed for further processing and repackaging that will
not have the same establishment number.
The recall was the second by Minneapolis-based Cargill in a
month. On October 7 the company recalled about 844,812 pounds
(383,200 kg) of frozen beef patties produced at a Wisconsin plant.