About 167,000 pounds of ground beef products have been recalled nationwide over contamination concerns.
Wolverine Packing Co., a meat distributor based in Detroit, Michigan, has recalled some of its fresh and frozen ground beef products due to the risk of E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Nov. 20.
The products in question were shipped to restaurants nationwide, and there are concerns some products could still be in restaurant refrigerators or freezers, according to the FSIS.
Read on to learn more about the ground beef recall, and to see a complete list of the products affected.
Ground beef recall 2024 due to E. coli risk
Wolverine Packing Co. has recalled about 167,277 pounds of ground beef products due to possible E. coli contamination.
This month, multiple illnesses were linked to ground beef products from Wolverine Packing Co.
As of Nov. 20, 15 people were reported to have fallen ill, with their symptoms beginning between Nov. 2 and Nov. 10.
The FSIS was notified of these illnesses on Nov. 13 and, after investigating with the Minnesota Departments of Agriculture and Health, the agency determined that “there was a link” between this group of illnesses and ground beef from Wolverine Packing Co.
On Nov. 20, the Minnesota Department tested a ground beef sample from Wolverine Packing Co. and found it had tested positive for a strain of harmful bacteria called E. coli O157:H7.
Ground beef recall list
The FSIS has provided a complete list of affected products, as well as a document containing images of every product label included in the recall.
The fresh ground beef products being recalled have a “use by” date of 11/14/2024, and the frozen products affected by the recall have a “use by” date of 10/22/24, according to the FSIS.
These ground beef products were sold to restaurants, and do not appear to have been sold directly to consumers in stores.
The FSIS says it is “concerned that some product may be in restaurant refrigerators or freezers,” and urged restaurants “not to serve these products,” but to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.
The agency also advised consumers to cook all beef products in general to 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill harmful bacteria, and to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature.
Symptoms of E. coliE. coli is a blanket term for a group of bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract. Some strains of E. coli are harmless, but others can cause infection.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, people at especially high risk of severe illness from E. coli infections include:
- Newborns and young children
- People over 65
- People with weakened immune systems
- People with diabetes
- People with ulcerative colitis
The strain identified in the recent food recall, E. coli O157:H7, is a subtype of STEC, a particularly dangerous strain of E. coli.
This type of E. coli infection can cause intestinal bleeding, bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can damage blood vessels in the kidneys, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The E. coli O157:H7 strain is the most common strain of E. coli to cause illness. It may be contracted through contaminated meat products, or contaminated swimming or drinking water, according to John Hopkins Medicine.
E. coli can also be transmitted person-to-person — not through sneezing or coughing, but by coming into contact with someone’s fecal matter, or by handling objects or surfaces touched by someone whose hands were contaminated with the bacteria, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Meat contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 “does not smell and looks normal,” according to John Hopkins Medicine, highlighting the importance of cooking meat to the proper internal temperature.