USA: California Grocery recalls ground beef products for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination

Safeway supermarket, a retail store at 1435 W. Covell Blvd., Davis, Calif., is voluntarily recalling approximately 170 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.The ground beef products were produced on Aug. 29 and packaged in various sizes weighing between three quarters of a pound and 3.5 pounds. The packages are Safeway ground beef products labeled "LEANEST GROUND BEEF 93% LEAN," "SUPER LEAN GROUND BEEF 90% LEAN," "LEAN GROUND BEEF 80% LEAN," and "LEAN GR BEEF MARKET 80% LEAN." Each of these products has a sell by date of "Aug. 30, 00.""Because of the potential hazard of foodborne illness from consumption of meat products contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, I urge consumers who have purchased the suspect product not to eat it and return it to the place of purchase," said Thomas Billy, FSIS administrator. "USDA is informing the public so consumers who may have purchased and stored the product in their refrigerators or freezers can know to check."The problem was discovered through routine FSIS microbiological sampling.E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly pathogen that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, the elderly, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.Consumers and media with questions about the recall may contact Safeway at 1-800-SAFEWAY.Consumers with food safety questions can phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday, and recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.