Not Just Cookie Dough, Now Beef Too: Massive Recall of Beef Products due to Suspected E.coli Contamination
This is just a quick post, as everyone must know about this. While the puzzle is yet unsolved with respect to how E. Coli bacteria found their way into Nestle’s cookie dough, another disturbing USDA news release this past week announced a massive recall of beef products due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
On June 24, Colorado firm, JBS Swift Beef Company recalled approximately 41, 280 pounds of beef products that may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. It now appears that the recall has been expanded to 380,000 pounds of beef products following illness outbreaks linked to beef consumption in multiple states. These beef products were shipped to distributors and retail establishments in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin. For a full list of recalled beef products, click on the link at the bottom of this post.
Due to the fact that contamination caused by E. coli O157:H7 can be potentially deadly, the recall has been listed as Class I, or one that translates to high health risk. Even if you do not live in one of the states mentioned above, you may want to review guidelines for safe beef consumption (link below).
Anyway you look at it — whether its dinner (beef) or dessert (cookies) — its quite obvious that our current times require us to be much more alert than usual with respect to keeping on top of the news of the day. Our health and our lives depend on it – literally.
Resources:
Beef Recall June 24 News Release, Recall List, and Beef Safe Consumption Guidelines:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_034_2009_Release/index.asp
