Over 6.5 million pounds of raw, non-intact meat products distributed to retail locations and institutions nationwide have been recalled.
On October 4, 2018, JBS Tolleson, Inc., in Tolleson, Arizona, recalled 6,912,875 pounds of beef products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Newport. These raw meat products include ground beef packaged from July 26, 2018, to September 7, 2018. The recalled products are marked with the establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service was notified on September 5, 2018, of an investigation of Salmonella Newport illness with consumption of several different FSIS regulated products. The first store receipt potentially linking the purchase of FSIS-regulated product to a case-patient was received on September 19, 2018; FSIS was then able to begin traceback of ground beef products.
Eight case-patients have provided receipts or a shopper card number, which assisted in the investigation into the origin of the illness. It has since been determined that the raw ground beef was the probable source of the illness, with JBS being the common supplier of these products. There have been 57 case-patients from 16 states with illnesses reported from August 5 to September 6, 2018.
Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment. In some persons, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.
FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160°F. Other cuts of beef should be cooked to a temperature of 145 °F and allowed to rest for at least 3 minutes. The only way to confirm that ground beef or other cuts of beef are cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, http://1.usa.gov/1cDxcDQ.
