DPH urges caution with ground beef in wake of E. coli outbreak

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health urged consumers to cook ground beef thoroughly and to check packages to see if they might be on a recall list after a multi-state outbreak of E. coli bacteria.

DPH has been working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other New England state health departments to identify persons infected with E.coli who may have consumed undercooked ground beef contaminated with the same strain of the disease causing organism. The USDA has now determined that there is an association between fresh ground beef products distributed by Fairbank Farms, an Ashville, N.Y., meat distributor and illnesses in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts, the state health department said in a press release. 

According to the DPH, Fairbank Farms is recalling multiple trade brands associated with the multi-state outbreak of E.coli. Retailers that may have sold ground beef being recalled in Massachusetts include Shaws, Price Chopper, Trader Joe’s and Wild Harvest.  Additional information on recalled products is posted at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/ Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp 

According to the press release, the products subject to recall include:

Trader Joe’s

1-pound packages of "TRADER JOE'S BUTCHER SHOP FINE QUALITY MEATS GROUND BEEF 85/15."
1-pound packages of "TRADER JOE'S BUTCHER SHOP FINE QUALITY MEATS GROUND BEEF 80/20."

NOTE: The sell-by dates for the above two products may be October 6 or 7, 2009.

1-pound trays of "TRADER JOE'S BUTCHER SHOP FINE QUALITY MEATS GROUND BEEF PATTIES 96/4 EXTRA LEAN."
1-pound trays of "TRADER JOE'S BUTCHER SHOP FINE QUALITY MEATS GROUND BEEF PATTIES 85/15."

Price Chopper

1- and 2.5-pound trays of "PRICE CHOPPER MEATLOAF & MEATBALL MIX."
1-pound trays of "PRICE CHOPPER EXTRA LEAN GROUND BEEF 96/4."
1-pound trays of "PRICE CHOPPER FRESH GROUND BEEF CHUCK FOR CHILI 80% LEAN 20% FAT."

Lancaster and Wild Harvest

1-pound trays of "LANCASTER BRAND 96/4 EXTRA LEAN GROUND BEEF."
1- and 2-pound trays of "LANCASTER BRAND 90/10 GROUND BEEF."
1-pound trays of "WILD HARVEST NATURAL 85/15 ANGUS GROUND BEEF."

Shaw's

1- and 2-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND BEEF 93/7."
1-, 2- and 3-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND BEEF 80/20."
1- and 3-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND BEEF 75/25."
1.3-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND SIRLOIN BEEF PATTIES 90/10."
1.3-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND ROUND BEEF PATTIES 85/15."
1.3-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND BEEF PATTIES 80/20."
3-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND BEEF PATTIES FAMILY PACK 80/20."
1-pound trays of "SHAW'S ANGUS GROUND BEEF 85/15."
1-, 2- and 3-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND ROUND BEEF 85/15."
1-pound trays of "SHAW'S 90% NATURAL GROUND BEEF."
1-pound trays of "SHAW'S 85% NATURAL GROUND BEEF."
1-, 2- and 3-pound trays of "SHAW'S FRESH GROUND SIRLOIN 90/10."
1-pound trays of "MEATLOAF & MEATBALL MIX."

BJ's

5-pound trays of "FRESH GROUND BEEF, CONTAINS 15 % FAT" patties.
3- and 5-pound trays of "LEAN GROUND BEEF, CONTAINS 7% FAT."
2.5-pound trays of "MEATLOAF & MEATBALL MIX."

Ford Brothers

3-pound trays of "FRESH GROUND BEEF, CONTAINS 20% FAT" patties.

Giant

1-pound trays of "GIANT EXTRA LEAN GROUND BEEF 96/4."
1-pound trays of "GIANT MEATLOAF & MEATBALL MIX."
1-pound trays of "GIANT NATURE'S PROMISE GROUND BEEF."
1-pound trays of "GIANT NATURE'S PROMISE GROUND BEEF PATTIES."

Each package bears the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the nutrition label. These products were packaged on Sept. 15 and 16, 2009, and may have been labeled at the retail stores with a sell-by date from Sept. 19 through 28, 2009, unless otherwise noted above. Consumers should ask at their point of purchase if the products they have are subject to recall. The products were sent to distribution centers, intended for further distribution to retail establishments in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.  

This outbreak follows another unrelated E.coli outbreak involving more than 20 children and adults from Rhode Island who became ill with gastrointestinal symptoms after eating ground beef at Camp Bournedale, a nature camp in Plymouth. Ground beef collected at the camp was the same strain of E. coli confirmed in two of the children. A ground beef and beef product recall was initiated by South Shore Meats in Brockton last week as a result of the camp related outbreak. The recalled ground beef was distributed in institutional size packages.

 DPH is again reminding consumers that raw animal foods such as ground beef may often contain disease causing organisms such as E.coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella. Fully cooking raw animal foods will kill these and other disease causing organisms. Consumers should only eat ground beef that has been cooked to a safe temperature of 160 degrees F.

 Consumers and food service operators should use a digital thermometer to test the final cooking temperature of their ground beef patties. Color alone is not a reliable indicator that the ground beef has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees F, which is necessary to destroy disease causing organisms such as E.coli.

 Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should consult their health care provider, local board of health, the DPH Epidemiology Program at 617-983-6800 or the DPH Food Protection Program at 617-983-6712.