USDA announces recall of ground beef products

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A Green Bay, Wisconsin, establishment is recalling about 58,281 pounds of ground beef products that might be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) 0103, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said.

The ground beef items from American Foods Group, LLC, doing business as Green Bay Dressed Beef, were produced on Aug. 14 this year. The following products are subject to recall:

• Approximately 80-lb. cases containing 10-lb. plastic tubes of “90050 BEEF FINE GROUND 81/19” WITH LOT CODE D123226026.
• Approximately 80-lb. cases containing 10-lb. plastic tubs of “20473 BEEF HALAL FINE GROUND 73/27” with lot code D123226027.
• Approximately 80-lb. cases containing 10-lb. plastic tubes of “20105 BEEF FINE GROUND 73/27” with lot code D123226027.

The products have the establishment number “EST. 18076” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The items were shipped to distributors in Georgia, Michigan and Ohio.

Officials discovered the problem when FSIS received notification that a sample collected by a state public health partner tested positive of E. coli 0103. So far, officials have no confirmed reports of adverse reactions from consuming these products.

People can get sick from STEC IN 2-8 days (an average of 3-4 days) after consuming the organism. Most people infect with the organism develop diarrhea (often bloody) and vomiting. Vigorous rehydration and other supportive care is the usual treatment. Most people recover within a week, but rarely, some people develop a more severe infection.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, is uncommon with STEC 0103 infection. It is most common in children under 5, older adults and people with compromised immunity. Symptoms include easy bruising, pale skin and decreased urination. People with these symptoms should get emergency medical care right away.

Distributors and customers should not use or further distribute the above-listed ground beef products, FSIS said. You should either throw them away or return them to the place you bought them.

If you have questions about the recall, you can contact Jennifer Dibbern, American Foods Group LLC’s vice president of marketing and communications, at 1-800-829-2838 or email at info@americanfoodsgroup.com. For food safety questions, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline or email to MPHotline@usda.gov.