Dale T. Smith and Sons Meat Packing of Utah is recalling about 38,200 pounds of beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. It is illegal to sell meat contaminated with that bacteria in the U.S. Some of the recalled items are ground beef; others are primal cuts such as chuck, rib, sirloin, plate, and round.
The following products are part of the recall. Various weight combo bins of Boneles Beef “50/50”, “85/15”, “90/10”, “93/07”, or “95/05” produced on August 7, 2012 are recalled. Various weight boxes of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef produced on August 7, 2012 are also recalled. Each box has a label with the identifying package date of “08/07/2012” and the establishment number “EST. 4975” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The products were distributed to wholesale and retail establishments in California and Salt Lake City, Utah. The products were destined for further processing and may not have the establishment number on the final products available for direct customer purchase. The USDA will post the retail distribution list of recalled products at their FSIS web site. There will probably be derivative recalls announced over the next few days.
The problem was discovered through lab testing conducted by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The contamination may have occurred as a result of refrigeration malfunction. There have not been any reports of illness associated with the consumption of these products. For questions, call the company’s Plant Manager, Mike Smith, at 801-571-3611.
E. coli 0157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure and death. The very young, those with compromised immune systems, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses are most at risk for serious complications. It’s very important that all ground beef products are cooked to a final temperature of 160 degrees F to kill any pathogenic bacteria.
