ROCHESTER, N.Y., Nov. 2, 2009
2 Deaths Possibly Linked to Beef Recall
CDC: Deaths, Along with 26 Illnesses may be Tied to N.Y. Company's Recall of 546,000 Pounds of Ground Beef
-
(iStockphoto)
Lola Scott Russell, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says one of the deaths involved a New York adult with several underlying health conditions. The other is a death previously reported by New Hampshire officials.
She says all but three of the suspected E. coli infections are in the northeastern U.S. and 18 are in New England. The CDC is investigating all the cases.
Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms recalled almost 546,000 pounds of fresh ground beef that may be tainted with E. coli bacteria. The meat was distributed in September to stores from Virginia to Maine.
The ground beef was sold at Trader Joe's, Price Chopper, Lancaster, Wild Harvest, Shaw's, BJ's, Ford Brothers and Giant stores. Each package carried the number "EST. 492" on the label. They were packaged Sept. 15-16 and may have been labeled with a sell-by date from Sept. 19 through Sept. 28.
Also, ground beef packaged under the Fairbank Farms name was distributed to stores in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. That meat was likely repackaged for sale and would likely have differing package and sell-by dates.
The USDA was urging customers with concerns to contact the stores where they bought the meat.
Located in the southwestern corner of New York a few miles from the Pennsylvania line, Fairbank Farms has had two other voluntary recalls over the last two years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
In September 2007, the company recalled 884 pounds of ground beef products because they may have been contaminated with E. coli, the agency said. And in May 2008, it recalled 22,481 pounds of ground beef products that may have contained pieces of plastic.
Symptoms of E. coli include stomach cramps that may be severe and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days. E. coli can sometimes lead to complications including kidney failure.
Symptoms usually show up three to four days after a person eats contaminated food, although in some cases it can be as long as eight days. Officials said anyone having symptoms should immediately contact a doctor.
© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
More From Health
Add a Comment See all 12 Comments
- yuk. If there's E. coli, that means there's fecal matter. And if there's a lot of it, that means that it was either mixed in at a pretty high volume, or else it sat unrefrigerated to fester.
- Reply to this comment
- Yes, lets all eat beef that is not inspected and get sick and die.
Hey health care revisited.
LOL..... - Reply to this comment
- And the beat goes on endlessly with tainted beef, it will never end. Posted by Baileyccc
- Reply to this comment
- The Company's that sell tainted products should be closed forever.
And no, I don't trust our Government people at all. They are master liars. - Reply to this comment
- They say our food is supposed to be safer these days.
I don't believe it...not a word...
Without Government oversight, regulations, I've seen lower quality beef at the supermarkets.
I remember the days when every supermarket at least had a real butcher. It was said contamination caused the downfall of supermarket butchers, but I believe it was just the corporate addiction to money. - Reply to this comment
- Ahhh yeah,,,,, keep eating that factory farmed food. Antibiotics!!! More antibiotics for those cattle. Keep on dragging those old, sick downers and stuffing them in the meat grinders. Don't back down! We gotta have our 99 cent cheeseburgers!
- Reply to this comment
- So what does our illustious FDA do about a company that has had three e-coli related beef recalls in 2 years?
- Reply to this comment
- hurry, export the rest to China. Ater all fair is fair.
- Reply to this comment
