If you’ve purchased raw ground beef in the previous few weeks, it is best to take a better take a look at the packaging. The meat in your refrigerator or freezer could possibly be contaminated with the bacteria E. coli Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)Part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The products in query are not any longer available for purchase, which is why FSIS has not issued a recall. However, the agency has announce a public health alert on Saturday and warned consumers and foodservice establishments across the country to not eat or serve them.
The Greater Omaha Packing Co. notified FSIS that one in every of its products tested positive E. coli O157:H7, a strain known to cause severe intestinal infections in humans. The company “inadvertently used some of the contaminated beef to produce ground beef products, which it subsequently marketed,” the health alert said.
Which minced meat products may be contaminated?
The potentially contaminated items have a packaging date of March 28, 2024 and a use/freezing date of April 22, 2024. These products even have the establishment number “EST. 960A” throughout the USDA inspection mark.
Click here to view affected packaging labels and find additional information concerning the products included within the health alert within the table below.
If a meat product in your house is on the list, throw it away or return it to where to procure it, FSIS advises.
Why is E. coli dangerous?
E. coli, short for Escherichia coli, is a gaggle of bacteria typically present in the human and animal intestines. Most E. coli are harmless and subsequently play a vital role in your intestinal tract Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, some burdens Transmission through contaminated food or wateror contact with people or animals could make you very sick.
The strain specific to this public health alert, E. coli O157:H7, is essentially the most commonly identified species exhibiting this in North America Enter the poison, in keeping with the CDC. This toxin is so powerful that it may possibly damage the intestinal wall and cause bloody diarrhea.
Watch for these additional symptoms, the CDC says:
- Never inferior (below 101 degrees)
- Severe stomach cramps
- Vomit
While most individuals recuperate from E. coli O157:H7 exposure inside five to seven days, some infections may be life-threatening. Young children and older adults are most at risk of serious infections, which can include some type of kidney failure hemolytic uremic syndrome. According to the CDC, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli causes about 265,000 infections annually within the United States.
Contact your doctor in the event you experience these symptoms and think you could have been exposed to the bacteria. To date, FSIS has not confirmed any reports of illness related to this public health alert.
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