030641 US Beef Recalled on E. coli FearJune 30, 2003Washington - The US Agriculture Department said that a major meat producer had recalled 334,000 kilograms (739,000 pounds) of frozen beef on fears that it contained deadly E.coli bacteria. The recall came after public health officials identified five E. coli O157:H7 infections in the midwestern US states of Minnesota, Kansas and Michigan. The Chicago-based company, Stampede Meet, said the beef, most of it vacuum-packed frozen steaks, was processed from March 17-22. The beef was sold to restaurants, retail stores and other institutions. Steaks were also sold to people through door-to-door sales and to institutions in Canada. State public health officials and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the outbreak. E. coli O157:H7 can be deadly. It causes bloody diarrhea and dehydration. "The very young, seniors and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness," the Agriculture Department said in a statement. The bacteria most often shows up in hamburger, when feces from infected slaughtered animals find their way into the product. "However, the products subject to recall were injected with tenderizers and flavor-enhancing solutions and that process may have transferred the bacteria from the surface to the inside of the product," the statement said.
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