The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service has recalled extra lean ground beef that was sold in late July and early August in supermarkets in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska. The beef contains the e-coli virus and has caused eight people to become seriously ill.
The contaminated was packaged in 16 ounce black trays and labeled “Northwest Finest” brand Natural Ground Beef, 7% fat. The red and black label bears a UPC code of “7 5290760012 7” and also 10% fat with a green and black label without a UPC code. Each package also bears an establishment number “Est 965” that is located inside the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) mark of inspection as well as a sell-by date between August 1 and August 11, 2007.
The beef was sold at QFC, Fred Meyer and Safeway stores and ground by Interstate Meat Distributors, Inc. in Oregon. Even though the sell-by date has passed, many consumers freeze ground beef. With the Labor Day weekend approaching, authorities are concerned about consumers eating the beef this weekend. Consumers can contact the Food Safety and Inspection Service at 1-888-674-6854 with any questions.
E-coli
E-coli, or Escherichia coli, normally lives inside your intestines, where it helps your body break down and digest the food you eat. Unfortunately, certain strains of e-coli can get from the intestines into the blood. This is a rare illness, but it can cause a very serious consequences including:
- fever and chills
- severe stomach cramps
- vomiting
- diarrhea
Heat can kill E. coli, so experts recommend that people cook beef (especially ground beef as in this recall) until it is cooked through and no longer pink.
