Beef sickens six
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota meatpacker has recalled about 188,000 pounds of ground beef patties and some other products because of E. coli bacteria concerns.
Rochester Meat Co. of Rochester issued the recall after five illnesses were reported in Wisconsin and one in California, the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement Saturday.
The affected beef was produced Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. It was shipped to distributors nationwide for use in restaurants and food service institutions. It was not sold by retailers, the USDA service said.
The USDA did not say where in Wisconsin the illnesses occurred, nor did it list the names of any of the restaurants.
The meat may be contaminated with a strain of bacteria – E. coli O157:H7 – that’s potentially deadly and can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, senior citizens and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk.
People with questions may call the company’s quality assurance manager at (507) 529-4759.
They also can find information via the USDA at www.AskKaren.gov or toll free at 1-888-674-6854. Recorded information will available 24 hours a day. Operators will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST Monday to Friday.
The USDA service said the problem was detected “through an investigation initiated by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and the California Department of Public Health.”
Jan 14, 2008 at 11:43 a.m.
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The story did not pinpoint the source of the bacteria, but as far as I know, E. coli is only present in one specific place in an animal's body. I'm sorry, but no amount of cooking would make me feel better about eating something that had this um..."stuff" (to be clean about it) in it.
Jan 14, 2008 at 8:33 a.m.
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Yes, as long as you cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, the meat is safe to consume. We always use a meat thermometer to make sure it reaches 160...it's also helpful to make sure we don't overcook steak.
Jan 13, 2008 at 3:14 p.m.
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Obviously this meat is not safe for consumption, but if it were used unknowingly, would proper cooking destroy the bacteria and prevent people from getting sick?
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