An additional 5,156,076 pounds of raw beef products have been added to the October 4, 2018, recall list. The USDA is concerned that although all of the affected product was packed from July 26, 2018, to September 7, 2018, that some of the product may still be stored in the consumer’s freezers. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
Consumers are reminded to always fully cook raw meat to a safe internal temperature. The cooking process will kill the Salmonella. It is also essential that people wash their hands after handling raw poultry, meat, and pet food in order to avoid cross-contamination. The initial recall included over 12 million pounds of raw beef products that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) believed may have been contaminated with Salmonella Newport.
These products include several packaged varieties of ground beef. Although the majority of these were shipped to California and Arizona, some of these were shipped nationwide. Nearly 250 cases of Salmonella Newport have been confirmed in 25 states. These patients reported the onset of the illness to be between August 5, 2018, to October 16, 2018. Those who consume food contaminated with Salmonella can get salmonellosis, one of the most common foodborne illnesses. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. Illness can last from 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment. Some patients may need to be hospitalized due to severe diarrhea. The elderly, infants, and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to become severely ill.
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.
Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact the JBS USA Consumer Hotline at (800) 727-2333. Members of the media with questions regarding the recall can contact Misty Barnes, public relations specialist at JBS USA, at (970) 506-7805.
Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.
