New Law Blogs

New England Ground Beef E coli Outbreak and Recall

By PritzkerLaw

 A cluster of  E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut have been associated with fresh ground beef made in New York and sold in meat cases at Trader Joes, Price Chopper, Shaw's, BJ's, Ford Brothers and Giant stores.

The ground beef E. coli outbreak and recall of 545,699 pounds of Fairbanks Farms ground beef was announced early this morning by the USDA. The potentially contaminated ground beef was sold through retail meat cases under the various stores' labels. To recognize the recalled ground beef, look for the USDA establishment number EST 492 inside the USDA mark of inspection. EST 492 is the plant identifier for Fairbanks Farms.

The packages have sell-by dates ranging from September 19-28 and Oct. 6,7. Consumers also are urged to check their freezers for this product. Freezing temperatures do not kill E. coli O157:H7, a pathogenic bacteria which can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). E. coli HUS is a life-threatening illness that hits hardest against kids under 5 and adults over age 60. It also is dangerous to others with weakened immune systems.

This is the second New England ground beef E. coli outbreak and recall to happen in weeks. The first involved more than 20 Rhode Island Lincoln Middle School sixth graders sickened by hamburgers made in Brockton, Massachusetts, and served at Camp Bournedale in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been working with USDA and state health and agriculture departments to investigate these New England E. coli outbreaks.

Anyone with E. coli symptoms, especially bloody diarrhea, is urged to see a physician. Make sure stool sample tests are taken and any confirmed illness must be reported to public health officials by your doctor. For more legal information about this outbreak, contact national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of food poisoning and we have collected millions for victims.

We currently represent E. coli HUS patients and are accepting cases from the New England E. coli ground beef outbreaks in Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Pritzker Olsen attorney David Szerlag is a Rhode Island attorney.

E. coli O157:H7 is banned from ground beef in the United States. Because it is an adulterant, liability for illnesses caused by it do not stop with the manufacturer. To receive a free case consultation, call us or contact us online by completing a contact and information form. 

Prevention of foodborne illness is an important part of our mission at Pritzker Olsen. Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen spent parts of this year giving seminars at industry food safety conventions to discuss the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in our food supply and what companies should do to prevent it.

For the complete list of recalled ground beef, click here and scroll to bottom.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on October 31, 2009 (boomark / email).