Looks like romaine lettuce isn’t the only thing that will be missing from the grocery store shelves for a while. The United States Department of Agriculture has announced a massive beef recall due to concerns about contamination from the deadly bacteria E. coli.
Utah-based Swiss Beef Co. has recalled 99,260 pounds of raw, non-intact ground beef products, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Saturday.
It’s the second-largest recall for Swiss Beef parent company JBS Tolleson, which recalled 6.5 million pounds of ground beef amid concerns about salmonella contamination back in October.
Across 16 states, at least 57 people reported getting sick after consuming the salmonella-tainted beef. On Nov. 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the outbreak spread to 25 states and sickened at least 246 people, 59 of whom have been hospitalized. However, no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products have been reported.
99,260 pounds of ground beef was packaged in 2,000-pound pallets and in plastic-wrapped packages with mark “Blue Ribbon Beef.” The items being recalled were shipped to retail and food service distributors in California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
Back in May, JBS USA faced another recall of 35,464 pounds of raw ground beef that was processed at its Lenoir, North Carolina facility. The meat products were recalled for possible contamination with hard plastic pieces.
By: Maytinee Kramer
