A million pounds of ground beef recalled

Consumer Reports News: August 09, 2010 11:39 AM

A California meat packer is recalling about one million pounds of frozen ground beef patties and bulk packages that may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. The meat was produced by Valley Meat Company, in Modesto, California, and sold to retailers and institutions in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Texas and internationally.

The packages are marked with the establishment number "EST. 8268" inside the USDA mark of inspection and a production code of 25709 through 01210. The products were produced between the dates of Oct. 2, 2009 through Jan. 12, 2010, but may still be in consumers' freezers. If you have any of the frozen ground beef in the recall, don't eat it. You can call the company at (866) 221-6474 and get a detailed list of products at the USDA link above or at the company's web site .
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service posts a list of retailers where recalled products were sold as the information becomes available. You can log on to their Current Recalls & Alerts page to see if your retailer is listed.

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.

The best way to avoid getting sick is to handle food carefully and cook it thoroughly. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer; it should be 160 degrees F.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 76 million cases of food-related illness—resulting in 5,000 deaths and 325,000 hospitalizations—occur in the United States each year. Read our safety tips for summer foods here and read more about tracking foodborne illnesses here.

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A million pounds of ground beef recalled

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