Ground Beef Recall

Cargill Meat Solutions has recalled 1 million pounds of ground beef after a sample testing of meat produced on October 7 tested positive for E coli 0157:H7. 

The beef recall is the second this month for the agricultural giant Cargill.  Earlier this month, the company had to recall more than 800,000 pounds of beef for E. coli contamination.  Symptoms of E.coli include bloody diarrhea and dehydration.  The young, elderly, and those with compromised or weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to the E.coli bacteria.

Food poisoning occurs when contaminated or spoiled foods are consumed. 

The most common culprits are salmonella bacteria and E. coli, particularly 0 157.  While sickness from spoiled food is common it can be deadly, especially for the young, elderly, or those with compromised or weakened immune systems.  Symptoms may include, nausea, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting, chills.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate that in the US food poisoning causes 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and close to 5,000 deaths each year. 

More than 200 known diseases can be transmitted through food. 

However, there are a myriad of unknown diseases also carried through food products.  The known causes of food poisoning can be categorized into two groups:  infective and toxic.  Infective causes include viruses, parasites, and bacteria.  Toxic sources are derived from pesticides sprayed on foods, poisons, and improperly prepared foods.  Viruses are the most common cause of food poisoning when the food contaminant can be identified.  The Norwalk Virus is the most common and comes from feces or passed from human to human.  It occurs in shell fish, vegetables, and water.  The Rotavirus is common in infants and young children and is associated with feces contamination and shared play areas.  Hepatitis A is spread through fecal matter and can cause jaundice.  Bacterial forms of food contamination come from salmonella transmitted through undercooked foods, egg products, poultry, dairy, and seafood.  Campylobacter is the most common form of bacterial contamination that is transmitted through animal feces in water, raw milk, raw poultry.  Staphylococcus aureus can be present in cream products such as potato salad, pies, and salad dressings.  This usually occurs as a result of improper temperature storage.  Bacillus cereus is a bacteria associated with starches such as rice, potatoes, and pasta.  Shigella is transmitted through water polluted by human waste.  Botulism is borne in products that are honey, sausages, and seafood. Vibrio cholerae is usually found in undercooked, infected, or raw seafood.

Normally, food becomes contaminated from improper preparation, storage or packaging. 

In the case of beef contamination, the spoilage could come from the manner in which the butcher at the processing plant prepares the meat.  E.coli lives in the intestines of cattle.  If the E. coli comes into contact with the prepared meat, the meat is also contaminated.  Storage issues leading to food spoilage or contamination occur due to improper temperature storage.  If beef infected with E. coli is cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, the contaminant is usually destroyed.  Another source of food contamination is the human element.  Improper sanitation procedures such as hand washing and persons with infections handling foods may also cause poisoning.

Please call 800-748-7115 or click here so that we may evaluate your food contamination case today.