Minneapolis, MN - Cub Foods' Naperville, Ill., store has issued a voluntary recall of approximately 1000 pounds of ground beef products that may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. The recall was prompted by the positive identification of E. coli O157:H7 by the USDA in a routine sample of ground beef taken from the Naperville store. Subject to the recall are any ground beef products purchased from the Naperville store labeled with a sell-by date of 12/8/98. Cub Foods encourages its customers to return any potentially affected product to the Naperville store.
No health-related incidents have been reported.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly pathogen that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, the elderly, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.
Although this product should be returned to the Naperville store, the USDA urges consumers to cook all ground beef and hamburger thoroughly. The best way to ensure this is to use a meat thermometer because ground beef can turn brown before disease-causing bacteria are killed. To kill bacteria, cook ground beef patties until a thermometer inserted into the center of the patty reads 160 degrees F. Cub Foods is a division of Minneapolis-based SUPERVALU (NYSE: SVU - news), the nation's largest food distribution company and the 11th largest food retailer. The company serves approximately 4,400 food stores in 48 states, and more than 660 limited-assortment stores through the separate business called Save-A-Lot.
Meat Industry Insights News Service
P.O. Box 553
Northport, NY 11768
Phone: 631-757-4010
Fax: 631-757-4060
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com
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