More than 3,000 Pounds of Beef Are Being Recalled Due to E. coli Contamination

If you are living in the northeast, you may want to put a pin in taco Tuesday this week. On March 24, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of more than 3,000 pounds of boneless beef chuck due to an E. coli outbreak. The announcement was made after FSIS positively confirmed the presence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) 0103 as part of a routine testing of beef samples from Elkhorn Valley Packing Company.

The contaminated beef was packed on February 16, bearing establishment number EST. M-19549 per the USDA inspection, and was shipped to distributors, federal establishments, wholesale locations, hotels, restaurants, and institutions. Residents and patrons of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania should be mindful, as deliveries were bound for the listed states.

There are currently no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to the outbreak, but illness from STECs typically strikes two to eight days (average three to four days) after consumption of the organism.

“FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef product that has been cooked to a temperature of 160°F,” the recall notes. “The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.”

The complete list of serial numbers and box count numbers for the product in question can be found here. Although the names of the retail distributors have not been released yet, the FSIS notes that you can check back on the product’s recall page for information when it becomes available. 

Wondering what other recalls and public health alerts have been issued lately from your favorite brands? Check out this page that’s updated regularly to stay in the know.