020701 Conagra Recalls Ground Beef Due to E.ColiJuly 1, 2002Washington - The ConAgra Beef Co. is voluntarily recalling 354,200 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with potentially deadly E.coli bacteria, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The labels on the recalled fresh and frozen ground beef products carry the establishment code "EST. 969" inside the USDA seal of inspection and should be returned to the places where they were purchased, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said. The recalled beef was produced on May 31 and distributed to retail, food service and institutional establishments nationwide, it said. ConAgra Beef Co. is owned by ConAgra Foods Inc., the No. 2 food group 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, I urge consumers who have purchased the suspect product not to eat it and return it to the place of purchase," acting FSIS Administrator Linda Swacina said in a statement. The agency said it had not received any reports of illnesses linked to the recalled beef and that the potential contamination was discovered through its own sampling procedure. E.coli O157:H7 can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com |
