60K lbs of beef Recalled by National beef for e.coli risk

More than 60K lbs of ground beef products has been recalled by the National Beef Packing Co. on Friday, 12th August, as announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Beef products are being recalled due to the possible contamination of the E. coli bacteria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture listed it as a Class I Recall with a high health risk. A possible contamination of E. coli 0157:H7 was discovered after the inspection at an Ohio processing plant. Till now, no illnesses were reported with the recalled products.

The beef was distributed nationwide for further processing and distribution but the affected products were sold mainly in stores of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. The symptoms of the E. coli infection include stomach problems such as vomiting and bloody diarrhea. The Agriculture Department of Food Safety and Inspection Service recommend users to prepare their meat products safely at 160 degrees Fahrenheit temperature and not risk evaluating meat's "done-ness" by color or touch, but through a thermometer.

The potentially contaminated ground beef chubs were produced on 23 July, 2011 and 25 July, 2011 with a freeze date of 12 August, 2011 and 14 August, 2011 respectively. These products may be repackaged and sold under varied brand names.