Hannaford Supermarkets has stopped selling packages of ground beef made from multiple sources after discovering that the practice would hinder efforts by state and federal officials to trace the source of the Salmonella outbreak linked to ground beef sold at its stores. At leas 19 people in seven states have been sickened by a rare strain of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella typhimurium, according to the latest update by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The states included in the outbreak are Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Hawaii. At least 12 of those sickened reported buying ground beef from Hannaford stores between Oct. 12 and Dec. 10. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is investigating the source of the … [Read more...]
More Illnesses in Hannaford Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak
The Hannaford ground beef Salmonella outbreak has resulted in four additional confirmed illness since the supermarket chain announced a recall of store-ground hamburger on December 15. The CDC is reporting a total of 19 patients from seven states, including four from Maine. The outbreak is centered in the Northeast put includes confirmed cases in Kentucky and one in Hawaii. It underscores two public health issues: The growth of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in food and a chronic traceback problem involving incomplete meat grinding logs kept by retailers that mix their own hamburger. Hannaford, a Maine-based chain with 179 stores in the Northeast, is recalling an undetermined amount of ground beef sold in its meat cases due to possible contamination from Salmonella … [Read more...]
CSPI Urges USDA to Prohibit Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is once again urging the USDA to prohibit antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in ground meat and poultry, extending a campaign started earlier this year. … [Read more...]
Slack Record Keeping Impedes Hannaford Ground Beef Salmonella Investigation
The current Hannaford supermarkets Salmonella ground beef outbreak in the Northeast is proving to be the latest example of a nationwide food safety problem: Lack of adequate record-keeping at the retail level when stores grind beef cuts and trim into hamburger. The outbreak in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts Maine has hospitalized at least seven people and infected at least seven others with Salmonella Typhimurium, a strain of bacteria that is resistant to some antibiotics. Based on a federal examination of Hannaford's records, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service called the records "limited" and said it was was unable to determine responsible suppliers of the beef. The agency has been tracking this problem at the supermarket level across the country for years … [Read more...]
Hannaford Recalls Ground Beef after 7 Hospitalized with Salmonella Poisoning
A Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 14 people in New York, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire has been linked to ground beef sold at Hannaford Supermarkets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford a recall on an undetermined amount of fresh ground beef on December 15, after information gathered from epidemiologic and traceback investigations conducted by the FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health officials linked the illnesses to ground beef sold at Hannaford stores. Of the 14 patients, 11 reported eating ground beef before becoming ill, and 10 of them said they purchased ground beef at Hannaford stores in Maine, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire between Oct. 12 and Nov. 20, … [Read more...]
Meat Industry Wants Delay of USDA Testing on Non-O157 E. coli
The American Meat Institute, along with other organizations, asked the U.S. government to delay a testing plan and ban on non-O157 strains of E. coli in ground beef and beef trim. The organizations, which include the Southwest Meat Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and the National Meat Association, believe that the non-O157 strains do not pose an urgent public health risk. They also believe that current methods used to control E. coli O157:H7, one strain of the pathogenic bacteria, adequately control the other strains. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that non-O157 E. coli strains cause about 112,000 illnesses in the United States every year. Beef consumption is implicated in 36,700 of those illnesses. The Consumer Federation of … [Read more...]
