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State Health Officials Urge Coloradans to Discontinue Use and
Discard Certain Ground Beef Products for Possible
Contamination with E. coli O157:H7 June 4, 2007, DENVER
- The Consumer Protection Division of the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment Monday urged
Coloradans who purchased certain Moran’s ground beef from
Albertsons stores to check the product for specific code
information and discard it or return it to the place of
purchase for a refund. The ground beef has been recalled due
to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
United Food Group, LLC, a Vernon, Calif., establishment,
voluntarily recalled approximately 75,000 pounds of its
ground beef products, which were distributed at Albertsons
stores in Colorado. Since the recall, Albertsons has removed
all possibly contaminated products from its stores. Any
product now available in the stores is not involved in the
recall.
The labels of the recalled ground beef bear the Moran’s
label and the establishment number “EST. 1241” inside the
USDA mark of inspection. All of the products bear a “sell
by” date of “May/06/07,” a “freeze by” date of “May/07/07”
or a “produced on” date of “April /20/07.”
The products subject to the recall include the following:
- 10-pound boxes of “MORAN’S All Natural, 73/27 fine
ground beef”
- 10-pound boxes of “MORAN’S All Natural, 90/10 fine
ground sirloin”
- 2-pound chubs of “INTER-AMERICAN PRODUCTS 93/7
ground beef”
- 1-pound chubs of “INTER-AMERICAN PRODUCTS 80/20
ground beef”
- 1-pound chubs of “MORAN’S All Natural 73/27 ground
beef”
- 5-pound chubs of “MORAN’S All Natural 73/27 ground
beef”
- 3-pound chubs of “MORAN’S All Natural 73/27 ground
beef”
- 1-pound chubs of “MORAN’S All Natural, 90/10 fine
ground sirloin”
- 2-pound chubs of “MORAN’S All Natural 93/7 ground
beef”
- 2-pound chubs of “MORAN’S All Natural 96/4 ground
beef”
- 3-pound chubs of “STATER BROS. MARKETS 73/27 ground
beef”
Daniel Rifkin, Wholesale Food Program manager for the
Department of Public Health and Environment’s Consumer
Protection Division, said, “It is important that any
consumer who purchased the ground beef with the specified
recalled codes discard the product.”
Rifkin explained that E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially
deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and
dehydration. The very young, seniors and people with
compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to
foodborne illness.
State laboratory tests have identified two E.coli 0157:H7
cases in Colorado that have been linked to the recalled
ground beef. Both adults became ill in early May and have
fully recovered.
The possible contamination of the product was discovered
through sampling done by the California Department of Health
Services and the Colorado Health Department, in coordination
with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the
course of an investigation into reported illnesses. The
ground beef products were produced on April 20, 2007 and
were shipped to retail distribution centers in Arizona,
California, Colorado, Oregon and Utah.
Consumers with questions about the recall can call the
department’s Consumer Protection Division at 303-692-3620.
Consumers with general food safety questions also can “Ask
Karen,” USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service virtual
representative available 24 hours a day at
AskKaren.gov. The
toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry hotline at 1-888-MPHotline
(1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can
be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday
through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available
24 hours a day. |
