Huge Beef Recall Includes Products Sold In Rockford

Over the past month or so we've seen food product recalls of salads, pet foods, and muffins, all for different reasons. Two had a problem with Salmonella, another involved the potential for listeria. Now comes another recall, and this time it's beef.

The products I mentioned above were all sold in and around the Rockford area, and the new beef recall involves products sold around here, too.

Here's the Beef

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that Nebraska-based Greater Omaha Packing is recalling almost 300,000 pounds of meat due to potential E. coli contamination. The recall, announced July 29th, includes 38 different beef products including angus chuck meat, beef ribs, and boneless shank steaks distributed in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 960A” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says the problem was discovered when FSIS collected a routine product sample that confirmed positive for the presence of E. coli O157:H7. They say that there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

E. coli Is Potentially Deadly

As you know, E. coli is absolutely nothing to screw around with, and according to the CDC, this particular strain (E. coli O157:H7) is "a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal cramps 2–8 days (3–4 days, on average) after exposure the organism. While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5-years old and older adults."

What To Look For

Here are the product numbers and descriptions of the recalled items:

• 80104 BEEF CHOICE ANGUS BNLS SHANK 80128 BEEF CAB BONELESS CHUCK
• 80133 BEEF CHOICE ANGUS SIRLOIN ROUND KNUCKLE PEELED 80144 BEEF
• CHOICE ANGUS 1/4" CHUCK CLOD 80145 BEEF CHOICE ANGUS CHUCK CLOD
• 80173 BEEF CAB BOTTOM ROUND 80175 BEEF CAB 75 TRIM 80176 BEEF TRIM
• 80226 BEEF BONELESS CHUCK CLV 80235 BEEF BONELESS NAVEL CLV 80236
• BEEF CHOICE ANGUS CHUCK TRIM 80263 BEEF CAB BONELESS BRISKET 80269
• BEEF CHOICE CHUCK TRIM 80270 BEEF CHOICE BONELESS SHANK 80271 BEEF
• BONELESS SHANK 80272 BEEF 50 TRIM 80273 BEEF CHOICE 50 TRIM 80275
• BEEF CHOICE ANGUS 75 TRIM 80311 BEEF 85 TRIM 80326 BEEF CAB CHUCK
• TRIM 80328 BEEF CAB BONELESS SHANK 80372 BEEF CHOICE ANGUS CHUCK
• 65 TRIM 80374 BEEF CAB CHUCK 65 TRIM BEEF CAB CHUCK 65 TRIM 80375
• BEEF CHOICE 75 TRIM 80379 BEEF ROUND SIRLOIN KNUCKLE PEELED 80416
• BEEF CHUCK BONELESS CHUCK PECTORAL (DENUDED) 80429 BEEF RIB CAP
• MEAT 80430 BEEF CAB RIB CAP MEAT 80431 BEEF CHOICE RIB CAP MEAT 80475
• BEEF 75 TRIM 80516 BEEF PRIME CHUCK TRIM 80527 BEEF CAB CHUCK CLOD
• 80626 BEEF VA GO1881 BNLS CHUCK 80627 BEEF CHOICE ANGUS 50 TRIM
• 80628 BEEF CAB 50 TRIM 80826 BEEF SELECT ANGUS CHUCK TRIM 80827 BEEF
• ONA CHOICE ANGUS CHUCK TRIM 80828 BEEF CAB CHUCK TRIM 80805 BEEF VA
• COMBO ROUND HEEL MEAT MUSCLE OUT