Roughly 19,469 kg of ground beef products that were shipped to stores across the United States are being recalled over concerns that the meat may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The regulatory agency urged consumers in a notice on Saturday not to consume seven products produced by Lakeside Refrigerated Services, a company located in Swedesboro, New Jersey. The recall was issued after an unspecified issue was discovered during a routine recall effectiveness check, the FSIS said. All of the products being recalled will have the establishment number 46841.
Most people who become sick from an E. coli infection begin to experience symptoms three to four days after ingesting the contaminated food, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhoea. Typically, most people will recover within about a week’s time, but infection can be severe and even deadly for some groups, including elderly individuals, children under 5 years of age, and people with weakened immune systems. According to the CDC, roughly 5-10% of people who become infected with Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli develop a kind of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The specific list of ground beef products being recalled is as follows, per the FSIS:
- 1-lb. vacuum packages containing “MARKETSIDE BUTCHER ORGANIC GRASS-FED GROUND BEEF” and a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P-53298-82.
- 1-lb. vacuum packages containing four ¼ lb. pieces of “MARKETSIDE BUTCHER ORGANIC GRASS-FED GROUND BEEF PATTIES” and a use or freeze by date of June 27, 2020 and lot code P-53934-28.
- 3-lb. vacuum packages containing three 0 kg. pieces of “MARKETSIDE BUTCHER ORGANIC GRASS-FED GROUND BEEF 93% LEAN / 7% FAT” and a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P53929-70.
- 1-lb. tray packages containing four ¼ lb. pieces of “THOMAS FARMS GRASS-FED GROUND BEEF PATTIES 85% LEAN / 15% FAT” and a use or freeze by date of 06/25/20 and lot code P53944-10.
- 4-lb. tray packages containing 10 ¼ lb. pieces of “THOMAS FARMS GRASS-FED GROUND BEEF PATTIES 80% LEAN / 20% FAT” and a use or freeze by date of 06/25/20 and lot code P53937-45.
- 1-lb. vacuum packages containing four ¼ lb. pieces of “THOMAS FARMS GRASS-FED GROUND BEEF PATTIES 85% LEAN / 15% FAT” and a use or freeze by date of 06/27/20 and lot code P53935-25.
- 1-lb. vacuum packages containing “VALUE PACK FRESH GROUND BEEF 76% LEAN / 24% FAT” and a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P53930-18.
While the FSIS said that there have not yet been any reported adverse health incidents linked to the recall, the agency also said that those “concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.”