Ground beef recalled nationwide over possible E. Coli contamination

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• More than 60 tons of ground beef are being recalled nationwide due to possible E. coli contamination.
• The recall reportedly affects ground-beef products produced by New Jersey firm Lakeside Refrigerated Services between Feb. 1 and April 8.
• The USDA has provided a complete list of the possibly tainted meats, as well as their product codes and labels.

Lakeside Refrigerated Services has voluntarily recalled over 60 tons of ground beef due to possible E. coli contamination. The New Jersey firm said this may have affected meat products nationwide.

The problem was discovered during a routine imported product inspection by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), according to a USDA advisory released Monday.

The recall affected 120,872 pounds of ground beef products produced by Lakeside Refrigerated Services between Feb. 1 and April 8. The warning also says that the products were reportedly shipped to retailers across the country.

The FSIS is urging customers who bought the contaminated beef “not to consume them.” The company is concerned that the tainted product may still be in consumers’ refrigerators.

“These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” the USDA cautioned. The recalled items are sold under the labels Nature’s Reserve, Thomas Farms, Tajima and more.

The recalled products can be identified by their establishment number “EST. 46841,” according to the advisory. The number is emblazoned inside the USDA mark of inspection. A complete list of the potentially microbe-tainted meats, as well as their product codes and labels, have been provided by the USDA on their website.

Symptoms of E. coli infection include watery and bloody stools and vomiting, per the advisory.

There haven’t been any confirmed reports of “illness or adverse reactions due to consumption of these products,” per the health alert.

Source: New York Post