001216 Meat Packer Recalls 1.1 Million Pounds of BeefDecember 5, 2000Green Bay, WI - Wisconsin meat packer American Foods Group Inc. says it is voluntarily recalling more than 1.1 million pounds of ground beef due to concerns about possible E. coli contamination, after at least 22 people reported becoming ill. “Although no product that came directly from our facility has been found to be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, circumstantial evidence raises the possibility that recent serious illnesses may be related to our product,” Carl Kuehne, owner and chief executive of American Foods Group, said in a statement. The Minnesota Department of Health has linked 22 recent illnesses to E. coli O157:H7, one of the most dangerous food-borne illnesses, to ground beef purchased at eight Cub Food stores in Minnesota, American Foods said Monday. SuperValu Inc, the nation's 10th-largest supermarket chain, said on Saturday it pulled all fresh and unboxed frozen ground beef products from Cub Foods stores in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, and from the Chicago and Indianapolis metropolitan areas. The reports of illnesses have been confined to the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and were reported between November 11 and November 24, American Foods said. The Minnesota Department of Health said on its Web site those who became ill ranged in age from 19 months to 81 years. Six were hospitalized, but five of the six had since been released, state officials said. No. 1 U.S. grocer Kroger Co. said on Monday it was also cooperating with the recall, and asked consumers in 17 states to return beef with dates ranging from November 4 through November 22. Kroger said it did not operate in Minnesota and had not received any complaints of illness related to the beef. Source Of Contamination Sought American Foods said the decision to recall the meat was reached after consultation with the USDA Emergency Response Division. “We will continue to cooperate fully with food safety authorities in an effort to identify the source of contamination that caused these illnesses,” American Foods' Kuehne said. American Foods noted that ground beef was safe to consume when it had been cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71.11C). Kroger said consumers should return ground beef with dates ranging from November 4 through November 22 purchased from Kroger, King Soopers, City Market or Hilander stores in the following states: Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Colorado and Wyoming. The grocer also said consumers should return Kroger-brand ground beef purchased in one-, three- or five-pound tubes dated November 19 or November 20 from Kroger stores in the following states: Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. There are hundreds of strains of E. coli, a bacteria that can live harmlessly in the digestive tract. But other strains of the bacteria sicken 73,000 people a year in the United States. It can be spread by consuming undercooked beef or hamburger, contaminated fruit and vegetables or unpasteurized milk or apple cider.
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