Adams Farm Slaughterhouse, LLC, an Athol, Mass., establishment, recalled beef, veal, and Bison products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The recall was prompted by an outbreak of E. coli infections in 4 states: Connecticut (2), Massachusetts (3), Pennsylvania (1) and West Virginia (1).
The recalled beef products, sold raw by Adams Farm Slaughterhouse, originated from animals slaughtered on July 15, 25, and 27, 2016 and August 3, 8, 10, 11, 17, 24 and 26, 2016, and further processed and packed on various dates between July 21, and September 22, 2016. These products bear establishment number EST. 5497 inside the USDA mark of inspection and have lot numbers:
120361, 121061, 121761, 121861, 122161, 122261, 122361, 122461, 122861, 123061, 123161, 123261, 123561, 123661, 123861, 124561, 125261, 125861, 125961, 124261, 120461, 120961, 121161, 121661, 124461, 125061, 126661.
The recalled beef products include whole beef carcasses, beef cuts, trim, stew meat, flat iron, chuck roast, rib roast, various cuts of steak, various cuts of roast, beef kabobs made from top round, ground beef, ground beef patties, beef heart, liver, oxtail, brisket, whole tenderloin, bottom round flat, whole rib eye, whole sirloin strip, top butt, whole top round, and beef soup bones (shanks).
The recalled veal products include veal whole carcass, cuts, trim, osso buco, stew meat, ground veal, shoulder, rib and loin chops, veal steaks and round steak, cutlets, tenderloin and roast.
The recalled bison products were slaughtered on August 17. They include bison cuts, trim, stew meat, various cuts of steak and roast, ground bison, ground bison patties, heart, liver, oxtail, brisket, whole tenderloin, face rump, bottom round flat, whole chuck, whole rib eye, whole sirloin strip, top butt, whole top round, and bison soup bones.
Before the recall, some of these products were shipped to farmer’s markets, retail locations, and restaurants in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and eastern New York. Products also may have been shipped to neighboring states in the immediate area.
On September 16, 2016, the U.S.D.A. Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) was notified of an investigation of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses. FSIS, the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that there is a link between beef from Adams Farm Slaughterhouse and this initial illness cluster. To date, 7 case-patients have been identified in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia with illness onset dates ranging from June 27, 2016 to September 4, 2016. Five of the seven people sickened in the outbreak were hospitalized. None developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney failure and other potentially fatal health conditions.
At the time of the recall announcement, traceback information was available for 5 case-patients. It indicated that all 5 case-patients consumed beef products supplied by Adams Farms Slaughterhouse.
According to the CDC: “The Connecticut Department of Public Health collected leftover ground beef from an ill person’s home and from a restaurant for testing; that beef had been produced by Adams Farm Slaughterhouse. Test results showed the outbreak strain of STEC [Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli] O157:H7 in both samples of the leftover ground beef.”
Attorney Fred Pritzker
The finding of the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 in samples of ground beef points to Adams Farm Slaughterhouse ground beef as the source of the outbreak, according to attorney Fred Pritzker, who represents people sickened by contaminated food in lawsuits against processors, distributors, retailers, restaurants and others.
FSIS and Adams Farm Slaughterhouse are concerned that some of the recalled products may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers. If you have any beef, veal or bison products in your freezer, contact the store where they were purchased and find out if they are part of this recall. If you have recalled products, do not eat them.
E. coli O157:H7 can cause abdominal cramps, severe dehydration, and bloody diarrhea. The incubation period is 2-8 days after eating food contaminated with the organism.
