8/16/2011
West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass is reminding consumers to thoroughly cook ground beef to minimize the chance of infection by a foodborne illness.
The reminder comes on the heels of a recall of 60,000 pounds of beef announced last Friday by National Beef Packing Co. LLC, after routine sampling in Ohio turned up evidence of E. coli O157:H7 in a state-inspected facility. Traceback revealed that National Beef was the sole source of the positive samples.
“There is no evidence that any of the recalled product was distributed in West Virginia, but consumers should take care when cooking any type of ground meat products,” said Commissioner Douglass. “Despite producer safeguards, there is always a possibility that food may be contaminated with unhealthy microorganisms. Cooking to a safe internal temperature of 160 degrees is the final step in ensuring food safety.”
National Beef supplies large packages, or “chubs,” of beef to retailers across the country, including Winn-Dixie, Publix, Sam’s Club and Kroger, which has numerous stores in West Virginia. The recall only affected Kroger stores in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Knoxville, Tennessee, according to the company website.
Beef resellers should note the following specific recall information:
Ground beef chubs produced on July 23, 2011 with a Freeze By date of August 12, 2011:
- Boxes containing six 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck.” These can be identified by the product code 483.
- Boxes containing eight 5-pound chubs of “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck.” These can be identified by the product code 684.
- Boxes containing twelve 3-pound chubs of “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck.” These can be identified by the product code 782 or 785.
- Boxes containing six 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck.” These can be identified by the product code 787.
Ground beef chubs produced on July 25, 2011 with a Freeze By Date of August 14, 2011:
- Boxes containing eight 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 81/19 Fine Ground Beef.” These can be identified by the product code 431.
- Boxes containing eight 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 90/10 Fine Ground Beef.” These can be identified by the product code 471.
- Boxes containing six 10-pound chubs of “National Beef 86/14 Fine Ground Round.” These can be identified by the product code 494.
Each box and chub bears the establishment number “Est. 262” within the USDA mark of inspection. The products were shipped to distributors nationwide for further processing and/or distribution and may have been repackaged into consumer-size packages and sold under different retail brand names.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.
Consumers and media with questions regarding the recall should contact the company’s Vice President of Marketing, Keith Welty, at 816-713-8631.
Contact Information
Buddy Davidson, Communications Officer
304-558-3708; 304-541-5932 (cell)
bdavidson@ag.state.wv.us