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Beef Recall Includes Arizona: Beef Linked to E. Coli Outbreak
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By Michael Amsterdam
May 12, 2007

A Minnesota beef company is voluntarily recalling approximately 117,500 pounds of beef trim products used to make ground beef, due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced. The recall includes Arizona. The recall comes after an E. coli outbreak that has sickened seven residents in Minnesota, who purchased and ate ground beef from local stores there.


Beef Recall Includes Arizona: Beef Linked to E. Coli Outbreak

While those stores have already removed any potentially contaminated beef from their shelves, today's move greatly expands the scope of the recall. The trim was produced on March 27, 2007, and shipped to distributors and retail outlets in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

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Because these products later became ground beef sold under many different retail brand names, consumers have been advised to check with their local retailer to determine whether they may have purchased any of the products subject to recall.

The USDA didn't provide further identification of where precisely the questionable beef might have gone, and warned, "Because these products later became ground beef sold under many different retail brand names, consumers should check with their local retailer to determine whether they may have purchased any of the products subject to recall."

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E. coli 0157:H7 is a potentially deadly strain of bacterium. Symptoms of E. coli include stomach cramps that may be severe and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days. E. coli can sometimes lead to complications including kidney failure.

The USDA urges all consumers to thoroughly cook their beef, because high temperatures kill the bacteria.