Recall Affects Louisiana

Check your refrigerator and freezer! National Beef Packing Company  is recalling about 50,000 pounds of raw ground beef. The company says it may be contaminated with E.coli. The meat was sold to retailers, wholesalers and food service distributors across the United States in forty to sixty pound cases. All these products bear the establishment number “EST. 208A” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were produced on July 18, 2013, according to a report from the USDA's Food and Safety Inspection Service.

The following products are subject to recall:

• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck, package code “0481.”
• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef, package code “0421.”
• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, package code “0484.”

All these products have a “USE BY/SELL BY DATE” of June 14, 2013, and bear the establishment number “EST. 208A” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

 

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.

Consumers with questions should contact the company at (877) 857-4143 for details about the recall and their return and reimbursement policy.  Media with questions regarding the recall should contact the company’s spokesperson, Keith Welty, at (816) 713-8631.  Additional information can be found at www.nationalbeef.com.

States affected by the recall include Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois and Tennessee.