About 28,356 pounds of ground beef are being recalled over concerns it may be contaminated with E. coli. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the recall announcement was issued by Interstate Meat Dist. Inc. and includes ground beef produced on December 20, 2021. The meat was shipped to Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart, and WinCo stores throughout Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Seal of the USDA; image courtesy of the
U.S. Government via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org

A list of the recalled products can be found here. The beef products have ‘EST. 965’ printed inside the USDA mark of inspection or “next to the timestamp and use or freeze by date.” This issue was discovered after a package of beef was “purchased and submitted to a third-party laboratory for microbiological analysis.” That analysis revealed the sample was positive for E. coli O157:H7.E.coli is a dangerous bacterium that can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, and dehydration. In rare cases, it can even be deadly. At the moment, FSIS is concerned that consumers may have the recalled beef in their refrigerators or freezers. Anyone who purchased the affected products should throw them away or return them for a refund.  If you have additional questions or concerns, contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854.

Sources:

Ground beef sold at Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons recalled for possible E. coli contaminationWalmart, Kroger, and Albertsons recall over 28,000 pounds of ground beef over possible E. coli contamination