14 DAY TRIAL // On June 18, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in the United States announced that 22,737 pounds (10,313 kilograms) of raw ground beef products were to be recalled. The Service explains that the meat could be contaminated with E. Coli.
“National Beef Packing Co., a Liberal, Kan., establishment, is recalling approximately 22,737 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7,” reads an official statement.
The contamination appears to have been discovered while FSIS inspectors were carrying out a routine check.
Information shared with the public says that the ground beef products listed under the recall have all been manufactured at a Kansas plant.
“The problem was discovered through routine FSIS monitoring which confirmed a positive result for E.coli O157:H7,” the FSIS writes on its official website.
Furthermore, “FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.”
The products listed under this recall are as follows: 10 lb. (4.5 kg) packages of “National Beef” 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck, package code “0481,” 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef, package code “0421,” 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, package code “0484.”
The products have a “USE BY/SELL BY DATE” of June 14, 2013, and were produced on May 25.
They have been shipped to retail establishments and several other institutions in Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Mississippi, Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Arizona.
E. coli is known to cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Most people take about a week to recover after having been exposed to it, but the bacterium can sometimes prove deadly.
Those most vulnerable to it are children younger than 5 and older adults.
They can develop a type of kidney failure called HUS, whose symptoms include fever, fatigue, pale skin tone, abdominal pain, bleeding from the nose and mouth and decreased urination.
“Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately,” the FSIS stressed.