As part of a larger recall announcement made by Moyer Packing Company (MOPAC) on August 4, 2000, Giant Food Stores, Inc. which operates under the name Giant Food Stores in Pennsylvania, Martin’s Food Markets in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania and Edwards Super Food Stores in New York and New Jersey is voluntarily recalling all varieties of its store made fresh ground beef, ground beef patties and meatloaf mix sold to customers between July 20, 2000 and August 6, 2000 from stores in PA, VA, WV, MD, NY & NJ. In addition, packages of store made frozen ground been patties with “sell-by” dates of August 18, 2000 through September 4, 2000 from stores operating in PA, VA, WV and MD are included in the voluntary recall, after learning that the product may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. Laboratory tests by the United States Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of the bacteria during random sampling of beef from the Moyer Packing Company (MOPAC), a supplier of Giant Food Stores, Inc. No regulatory agency has confirmed the presence of E. coli 0157:H7 in any product sold at Giant Food Stores, Martin’s Food Markets or Edwards Super Food Stores.
Because of the potential hazard of foodborne disease, any customer who purchased fresh ground beef or frozen patties between the dates above, and has a portion of it remaining, should remove it from the freezer and return it to the store for a full refund. Customers with questions may call Giant Food Stores, Inc. Consumer Relations Department at 1-877-510-9051.
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As a precautionary measure, Giant Food Stores, Inc. removed the questionable product from its shelves on August 2, 2000 after notification from its supplier about the unconfirmed presence of E. coli 0157:H7. Since the United States Department of Agriculture has began random beef sampling, samples have produced negative results for E. coli 0157:H7 at Giant Food Stores, Inc.
E. coli 0157:H7 is an organism that may cause serious illness in small children, frail or elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. Consumers can protect themselves from E. coli 0157:H7 by cooking ground beef to 160 degrees internal temperature. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and/or diarrhea. Pregnant women should consult their physician. For further information on safe food handling, visit our website at www.giantpa.com .
