Health Alert Issued For Ground Beef For Possible E. coli

A health alert has been issued for different types and brands of ground beef for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination, according to the USDA. The establishment that produced the ground beef was not named, but it was sold in several iterations under different brand names. A recall was not requested beaus these items are no longer available for consumers to purchase. No illness have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of these products.

The raw ground beef products were produced on March 28, 2024. These items have a “Use/Freeze By” date of April 22, 2024, and a packaging date of “032824.” You can see the list of recalled products at the USDA web site, and you can also see pictures of the labels for those products.

The recalled products include ground beef chubs and patties, ground beef brisket, and different types of grinds. Some of the brand names included in this recall are Chuck Craft Burger, Greater Omaha Hereford,  and Greater Omaha Packing Co.

These items all have the establishment number “EST. 960A” that is stamped inside the USDA mark of inspection. They were shipped to retail locations and food service institutions nationwide.

The problem was discovered and the recall was triggered when the establishment found that a product that was placed on hold because it tested positive for the pathogen was inadvertently used to produce these items and they were shipped into commerce.

FSIS is concerned that these items may be in consumers’ freezers. Please check your freezer carefully to see if you  have any of these products. If you  do, do not eat them, even if you plan to cook them thoroughly because of the possibility of cross-contamination. You can throw them away in a secure trash can, or take them back to the store where you purchased them for a full refund.

If you  ate any of these items, monitor your health for the symptoms of an E. coli O157:H7 infection. The most common symptoms are severe and painful abdominal cramps and diarrhea that is bloody. If you do get sick, see your doctor. One of the complications of this infection is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure. Children under the age of five usually develop this condition. Anyone with those symptoms needs to see a doctor immediately.