The public warning first issued on October 2, 2013 and updated on October 8, 2013 in Canada for ground beef contaminated with E. coli has been updated to include an additional product. Belmont Meats and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are warning the public not to consume uncooked lean ground beef. No reported illnesses have been reported to date. The pathogen is now identified as E. coli O157:H7; previous recalls simply called it “pathogenic E. coli bacteria.”
The recalled product is uncooked lean ground beef, no brand name, in 4 x 400 gram packages (net weight 1.6 kg). The codes on the product are best before date: 2014 JN 01 B## BMP Est. 112, where ## is a variable number. The UPC number is 0 60597 35235 7.
The beef was distributed nationally at the retail level. If you purchased this beef or have it in your home freezer, discard it in a sealed container or return it to the place of purchase. Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 will not look, smell, or taste spoiled. Symptoms of an E. coli infection include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea.
