001228 Precautions Help Stop Infections From E. ColiDecember 11, 2000Indiana - The ground beef scare sweeping the country this week has Hoosiers hunting through their freezers for meat that could make them sick. With more than 1 million pounds of ground beef being recalled from four supermarket chains that operate in Indiana and 22 other states, people are once again becoming familiar with E. coli, a bacteria that exists in animals and can prove fatal to humans in some cases. No one in Indiana has reported becoming ill from eating ground beef bought in November from Cub Foods, Kroger, Aldi or Sysco supermarkets. But all four chains have now recalled their ground beef voluntarily after meat from their supplier, American Foods Group of Green Bay, Wis., was linked to at least 30 illnesses in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. It's a precautionary step, the stores say, to assure the safety of people who eat ground beef. And it's a step that people familiar with E. coli say is worth taking. Edward Blair of South Bend developed E. coli poisoning in 1997 after he ate ground beef at a restaurant.
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