500 Tons Of Beef Recalled For E. Coli Fear

Ten States Affected In Cargill's Recall Of 1 Million Lbs. Processed In Pa. Plant

(AP)  Cargill Inc. said Saturday it is recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, the second time in less than a month it has voluntarily recalled beef that may have been tainted.

No illnesses have been reported, said John Keating, president of Cargill Regional Beef.

The agribusiness giant produced the beef between Oct. 8 and Oct. 11 at a plant in Wyalusing, Pa. and distributed it to retailers across the country. They include Giant, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wegmans and Weis.

Cargill learned the meat may be contaminated after the Agriculture Department found a problem with a sample of the beef produced on Oct. 8, the company said. The bacteria is E. coli O157:H7.

A spokeswoman for Cargill said 10 states are included in the recall — Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

"We are working closely with the USDA to remove this product from the marketplace," Keating said in a statement. Spokeswoman Lori Fligge said the company had no further comment.

Amanda Eamich, a spokeswoman for the USDA Food and Safety Inspection Service, said her agency will work with Cargill to track the approximately 1,084,384 pounds of beef that could be contaminated and remove it from store shelves.

"We do look in all directions to ensure that products that could be contaminated are not available to consumers," Eamich said.

On Oct. 6, Cargill voluntarily recalled more than 840,000 pounds of ground beef patties distributed at Sam's Club stores nationwide after four Minnesota children and four Wisconsin adults who ate the food developed E. coli illness, which is the same strain that was detected to prompt the latest recall.

A lawsuit is pending from that outbreak.

Eric and Jennifer Gustafson of Inver Grove Heights say their 4-year-old daughter, Callie, was hospitalized for about a week in September with an E. coli infection and has been permanently injured from the illness. Their 18-month-old son, Carson, also became ill and is still recovering, the lawsuit said.

In late September, Topps recalled 21.7 million pounds of its patties — the second-largest U.S. beef recall — and then closed its business.

E. coli is harbored in the intestines of cattle. Improper butchering and processing can cause the E. coli to get onto meat. Thorough cooking, to at least 160 degrees internal temperature, can destroy the bacteria.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and people with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to E. coli.

People with questions about the recall are asked to call Cargill at [phone].

Cargill Meat Solutions, based in Wichita, Kan., is the umbrella organization of Cargill's beef, pork and turkey businesses.

The Wyalusing plant produces 200 million pounds of ground beef annually.

Cargill Inc., based in Wayzata, Minn., is one of the nation's largest privately held companies. It makes food ingredients, moves commodities around the world and runs financial commodities trading businesses.

For More Information:

Cargill Meat Solutions: ww.cargillmeatsolutions.com

Agriculture Department's Food and Safety Inspection Service: www.fsis.usda.gov

[skyk-2009]

The fact is we do NOT have a safe nation anymore... food or things we buy period. Somewhere along the way we turned our Government over to Corporations and we are paying a very heavy price.

[nhprophet]

My fellow Americans just don''t seem to care that our nation, along with The Constitution upon which it was founded, is being flushed-down the NWO toilet by our nations'' bought and paid for politicians and media. While the Oligarchs warn and insite fear in the sheeple about the prospect of terrorism, they at the same time leave our border wide open, and fund and conduct illegal wars overseas that do nothing but encite the terrorism which their Orwellian Laws like the Patriot Act and The Real ID Act pretend to protect us from. Wake up America! It''s not about protecting you from terrorism, or saving the planet from Global Warming, or any of that other fear-mongering garbage the sold-out, mainstream media feeds you 24/7. It''s about feeding the bankers and the military industrial complex, and facilitating the ruling elite''s ability to ratchet-down control over the American people, placing us into a total control grid where they can surveille, track and control everywhere we go and everything we do. It''s the groundwork for totalitarianism, my friends. It''s New World Order plan of Bush, Clinton, Giuliani, et.al., being executed quite beautifully. You''re a victim of mass mind control--a frog in a pot. In order to cook a frog, you don''t throw him into a pot of boiling water. If you do, he''ll resist and jump-out. What you do instead is, you turn the heat-up REAL SLOW, and by the time the water is boiling he won''t be able to jump out anymore, because it''s too late--he''s already doomed.

[macusweil]

Greed Over Principles in Congress and the White House have so undercut government regulation (which they loath) to the point we are no longer being protected. Every man woman & child in this country is a far greater risk from BIG corporate greed than they will ever be from terrorist or other such dnagers.

[jeepmanjr]

So now we''re faced with a new choice: Hamburger Helper or a tank of gas. Hmmm...

I have met the enemy, and he is us!

[tngreen]

I cannot believe that somebody actually used this article to promote Ron Paul''s candidacy. The sloppy oversight of our food supply is a beautiful illustration of why small government does not work in this day and age, when virtually no American has any information about or control over the source of his/her food supply--we rely on oversight agencies to ensure the safety of our food, drugs, water, air, and other consumer goods.

Keep dreaming that we can go back to Jefferson''s nation of small farmers, but unless we completely use up all of the oil, coal, and natural gas, we will not be returning to an agrarian mode of production and will instead continue to rely on others to produce our food, and the government must fund agencies that keep us safe from the greed of Big Agra/Pharma. Ron Paul''s brand of libertarianism is the LAST thing we need right now. What we DO need is a bigger budget and more teeth for the FDA, USDA, and other federal agencies responsible for our safety. Why in the @#$* was this a VOLUNTARY recall in the first place, and where are the fines for letting tainted food reach the public? China throws these people in jail, and what are we doing here? Heckuva job, USDA!

[greco99-2009]

There are very serious problems with the food supply:

1. BGH causes hormonal changes in people who drink milk.

2. Cloning and enetic engineering creates ''frankencows''. Eating this meat has unknown consequences.

3. Reduction in inspections and dismantling of oversight by republicans, plus making it more difficult to sue if you are hurt by any defective products. Liability caps particularly hurt class action cases where damages are often high.

4. Meat and food producers through their powerful lobbies have enacted (corrupt) ''food disparagement'' laws that can make it illegal to ''criticize'' some food products. And, remember when the beef industry tried to sue Oprah?

Too much meat clogs your arteries (and produces erectile dysfunction), and BGH gives you man boobs...

[greco99-2009]

There are very serious problems with the food supply:

1. Bovine Growth Hormone, which is widely used to increase milk yeild, causes hormonal changes in people who drink BGH milk.

2. Cloning and genetic engineering creates ''frankencows''. Eating this meat has unknown consequences, and sounds disgusting. The meat lobby as successfully fought labling and safety laws.

3. Reduction in inspections and dismantling of oversight by republicans, plus making it more difficult to sue if you are hurt by any defective products. Liability caps particularly hurt class action cases where damages are legitametly high.

4. Meat and food producers through their powerful lobbies have enacted (corrupt) ''food disparagement'' laws that can make it illegal to ''criticize'' some food products. And, remember when the beef industry tried to sue Oprah?

Too much beef clogs your arteries (and produces erectile dysfunction), and BGH gives you Man Boobs (or early puberty for girls)...

[greco99-2009]

BGH increases Pus and Blood in milk. Some milk is dyed to simulate a natural milky white color..

Yuk!

[cyberus-2009]

With this, like the other recent cases where days worth of production (or longer) is recalled, where were the inspectors?

[my2centss]

Since the people butchering our food do not take pride in their work, we have to overcook our food now. Oh well just overcook your feces burgers.

[shanev137]

I''m surprised anyone takes the risk of buying beef anymore.

[thgdriver]

My wife said she wanted to go someplace expensive to eat this past weekend so I took her to our local WAWA filled up the SUV with gas, bought two hamburgers, two sodas, two bags of chips. Total $92.50.

[thgdriver]

You know that food poisoning can sure clean you out.
I had it twice in my lifetime. Got a cheese steak sandwich at the local sandwich shop, about one hour later my head started to swim, I felt awful, about 20 minutes later----Well all I''ll say is it sure cleaned me out!!!

[858rose]

Nothing is consider "Safe" any more, not even spinach unless one grows his own veggies like we do here, we no longer eat meat unless it is fish and even then we are suspices of fish sold at the markets.