010474 Canadian Firm Recalls 204,000 Lbs of Ground Beef

Washington - IBP-Lakeside Packers, an Alberta, Canada-based meat packer, said it is recalling about 204,000 pounds (92.5 tons) of ground beef products distributed in the United States, due to concerns about possible contamination by E.coli bacteria.

Lakeside Packers said the beef was produced at its Brooks, Alberta, plant on March 1, and sent to wholesale distributors in California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, as well as distributors in Canada.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also announced the recall, but said it had received no reports of illnesses in the United States associated with consumption of the Lakeside beef products.

FSIS said all ground beef products being recalled in the United States were packaged in generic 10-pound packs, packed in cartons with the “Lakeside Packers” emblem, and bearing the Canada L38 plant identification code on the box end panels.

Lakeside Packers said it initiated the recall after a sample of ground beef tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from a retail store in Saskatchewan was found to contain E.coli O157:H7.

Canadian authorities have been investigating E.coli-related illnesses in the province and suggested there may be a link to Lakeside's March 1 production.

E.coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are most susceptible to foodborne illnesses caused by the pathogen.

Strains of the E.coli bacteria sicken 73,000 people a year in the United States.

“Because of the potential hazard of foodborne illness from consumption of meat products contaminated with harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, we want consumers to be aware of the recall,” said FSIS Administrator Thomas Billy.

FSIS urged consumers to cook all ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

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