Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released a statement yesterday about the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to recalled beef products from Adams Farm Slaughterhouse. At least seven people in four states are sick with E. coli infections after eating those products.
She said, “News that a deadly form of E. coli has contaminated beef, veal, and bison products is extremely unsettling and I encourage all consumers to check their freezers to make sure that their products are safe. As E. coli continues to threaten American families, we have more work to do to ensure that all meat products are properly inspected before they are sold in stores. While I am grateful to the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the CDC for doing their due diligence in determining the source of the outbreak, I urge the USDA to aggressively and expeditiously investigate how E. coli found its way into this company’s products.”
The recalled products include raw, intact, and non-intact beef, veal, and bison products from animals that were slaughtered in July and August 2016. You can see the long list of lot numbers and recalled products at the USDA site. Please look at that list carefully to see if you have any of the recalled products in your home. They include flank steak, ground beef, shell steak, beef soup bones, veal tenderloin, veal roast, bison flat iron, chuck roast, and many others. All of the products have the establishment number “EST. 5497” inside the USDA mark of inspection. If you have any of these products in your home, throw them away or take them back to the store where you bought them for a full refund.
USDA was notified about the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak on September 16, 2016. They worked with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the CDC to find the link between beef from Adams Farm Slaughterhouse and this illness cluster.
Seven people in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have been identified as being part of this outbreak. Their illness onset dates range from June 27, 2016 to September 4, 2016. Traceback information for five of those sickened discovered that all of them consumed beef products from Adams Farms Slaughterhouse. Public health officials are concerned that some people may have these products in their home freezers.
The symptoms of an E. coli infection include severe abdominal cramps, dehydration, and diarrhea that may be bloody and/or watery. Most people get sick two to eight days after exposure to the pathogenic bacteria.
Some people then develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) after an E. coli infection, which can be life-threatening. Symptoms of HUS include little or no urine output, easy bruising, paleness, a skin rash, and bleeding from the nose or mouth. Anyone experiencing these symptoms must be taken to a doctor immediately.
