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Tag: e-coli

  • Ground Beef Recall: Children at Risk

    According to the USDA, children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk from the recall of 1.8 million pounds of ground beef.

    “The very young, the very old, and those with immune systems that have been weakened by cancer, kidney disease, and other illnesses are most at risk and vulnerable to illnesses associated with contaminated food. The symptoms of foodborne illness — such as diarrhea or vomiting, which can cause dehydration — can be very serious. Safe food handling practices at home or anywhere food is served is especially important for those in the “at-risk” group,” said the food safety and inspection service on its website.

    The recall, announced Monday, affects tainted ground beef items processed in a Detroit, Michigan-based factory between March 31 and April 18.

    The recall was initiated after FDA officials suspected the ground beef sold for use in restaurants may be contaminated by the E. coli bacteria.

    In addition to being sent throughout Michigan, the ground beef from the Wolverine Packing Company also reached Ohio, Missouri, and Massachusetts. But, officials warn the beef may have been distributed nationwide.

    The ground beef recalled have an establishment number that reads as “EST.2574B” and a production date code that says “Packing Nos.:” with numbers ranging from “03 31 14″ to “04 18 14,” which correspond to the date range connected with the recall.

    The recall was ordered after a Massachusetts resident, along with five from Michigan, four from Ohio and one from Missouri became ill with E. coli. Though several strains of E. coli are harmless to humans, this case involves the dangerous strain o157:H7.

    “E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2?8 days (3-4 days, on average) after exposure the organism,” said the USDA. “While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5-years old and older adults. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output. Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.”

    According to the USDA, ground beef should be cooked to 160 degrees to kill any harmful bacteria.

    The USDA released a list of recalled Wolverine products.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ground Beef Recall Prompted After E. Coli Outbreaks

    A ground beef recall has been announced after at least 11 documented cases of E. coli popped up across the country.

    The recall affects nearly 1.8 million pounds of beef that was processed by the Wolverine Packing Company of Detroit and was announced on Monday by the federal Department of Agriculture’s Division of Food Safety and Inspection Service. Authorities are advising consumers to only eat beef that has been cooked to at least 160 degrees.

    Residents in Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Missouri have been affected by the illness, which is potentially deadly and causes severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and dehydration. If left untreated, the virus can also cause kidney failure.

    For a complete list of recalled products, look here.

    “While none of the Wolverine Packing product has tested positive for the pathogen implicated in this outbreak, the company felt it was prudent to take this voluntary recall action in response to the illnesses and initial outbreak investigation findings,” the company said in a statement on Monday.

    The FDA and CDC are reportedly working together to ensure that none of the affected product has been shipped to restaurants in the area, although a list of those eateries hasn’t been released.

    Image via Thinkstock

  • The Major Foodborne Illnesses Circling The U.S.

    Foodborne illness is becoming more common and more dangerous in the U.S. and in the rest of the world. The mass food production required to feed the more than 7 billion people on the planet cannot be monitored closely enough to warrant safe food processing.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that approximately 48 million people in the U.S. alone are infected each year with various foodborne illnesses. That number does not account for those cases unreported, and many people attributing their sickness to the flu.

    The numbers of pathogens and allergens, bacteria and viruses are so vast, the CDC has grouped them into: Known Foodborne Pathogens, and Unspecified Agents.

    The CDC describes the known pathogens that are most prevalent in the U.S. and are causing the biggest problems in human health, below:

    Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that spreads just by touching a surface an infected person touched. It attacks the intestinal system causing stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.

    Salmonella is a bacterial infection that causes diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness can last 4 to 7 days and can be severe enough to cause hospitalization.

    Clostridium perfringens is a bacteria that is commonly found on raw meat and poultry. It can cause a toxin in the intestine causing illness and is the most common cause of foodborne illness in the United States.

    Staphylococcal – although this is a common bacteria found in healthy people, once it has been transmitted to food, it can create toxins and create food poisoning.

    Toxoplasmosisis considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States.

    E.coli is a large group of bacteria, some harmless, others can make you very sick. Symptoms such as diarrhea, urinary tract infection, respiratory illness and pneumonia can be attributed to E.coli.

    Listeria is a serious infection caused by eating food tainted with the bacterium. It is a serious health problem in the U.S. causing fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal problems, and diarrhea.

    The CDC advises food preparers to be extremely careful with uncooked food, to be sure to clean and separate it from other foods. Refrigerate foods not being used and after food is cooked – and wash hands, surfaces and all utensils after use when preparing raw meat.

    Image via YouTube

  • Cannibal Sandwiches Are Slammed by Health Officials

    Cannibal Sandwiches Are Slammed by Health Officials

    After a Wisconsin holiday tradition of eating “cannibal sandwiches” was linked to an E. coli outbreak last year, health officials are begging people to refrain from eating the sandwiches. Before you get too grossed out, the cannibal sandwiches are made using raw ground beef. That still has a pretty high gross factor, but at least we’re not talking about the real meaning of the word, right?

    According to Travel Channel, the cannibal sandwich is a “holiday tradition brought over by early German immigrants.” The sandwich is made out by placing the raw seasoned ground beef and an onion slice between two crackers or two slices of rye bread. Some people call this dish steak tartare or tiger meat.

    While we all have our traditions, the Wisconsin tradition of eating cannibal sandwiches has caused quite a few illnesses over the years, which is why health officials want people to stay away from them this holiday season. In 2012, it was reported that more than a dozen people got sick from an E. coli outbreak related to eating the raw ground beef. There have also been reports of illnesses related to eating the sandwiches in Wisconsin in 1972, 1978, and 1994.

    “We want everyone to have a wonderful holiday season and don’t want anyone to be sick,” said Abbey Canon, an official with the Wisconsin Department of Health. According to the USDA, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 °F.

    Despite Canon’s concerns and report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about how unsafe eating cannibal sandwiches can be, some of the people who got sick said that they’ll eat the sandwiches again this year. The Wisconsin state health department handed out questionnaires to 15 of the people that got sick and six of the people said they’ll continue eating cannibal sandwiches. “Hopefully we can change a few of those minds,” Canon said.

    Check out the ingredients for the cannibal sandwich below. Would you consider trying this? Add your comments below.

    [Image via Twitter]

  • Trader Joe’s Recalls Salads, Wraps Due to E. Coli Outbreak

    Heads up–if you have recently purchased a pre-made salad or sandwich wrap from Trader Joe’s, you may want to think twice before eating it. Due to an E. coli outbreak, Trader Joe’s and other stores have recalled certain pre-made items that may contain contaminated chicken or ham. Approximately 90 tons of food has been recalled and 26 people in three states have gotten sick from it so far.

    Trader Joe’s isn’t the only company affected by the E. coli outbreak. Athertone Foods, the company that provides the items, also provided the food to Walgreens and Whole Foods. These companies have issued recalls as well. The FSIS began monitoring the situation when a cluster of E. coli outbreaks was brought to their attention at the end of October and all of the sick people had consumed pre-packaged salads with grilled chicken.

    Read below for a list of items under the recall.

    Walgreen’s Delish Greek Style Orzo Salad (6.oz) Clam Shell, UPC 49022 74630
    Walgreen’s Delish Asian Style Noodle Salad (6. oz) Clam Shell, UPC 49022 74628
    Walgreen’s Delish Vegetarian Wrap (11.3oz) Cellophane, UPC 49022 55349
    Trader Joe’s Classic Greek Salad (9. oz) Clam Shell, UPC 0083 5794
    Whole Foods Southwestern Salad Kit
    Whole Foods Wheat Berry Salad Kit

    As far as the Trader Joe’s recall is concerned, the recalled products were sold in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington. Trader Joe’s has specifically listed their Mexicali Brand Salad with Chili Lime Chicken (SKU 97216), Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken (SKU 99050) and Classic Greek Salad (SKU 83579) as being recalled on their website. Trader Joe’s says that all of their recalled items have “USE BY” dates of 10/01/13 through 11/15/13.

    Trader Joe’s is offering full refunds to anyone who purchased the contaminated products. If you did eat the food under the recall, watch out for the following symptoms of E. coli: diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting. Contact your doctor if symptoms are severe; E. coli can be deadly, but most adults recover within a week.

    [Image via Facebook]

  • 50,000 lbs Of Beef Recalled Due To E. Coli Fears

    The National Beef Packing Co. has recalled around 50,000 pounds of ground beef over fears that it may be contaminated with the dread E. Coli bacteria.

    The Kansas company’s products are shipped all around the country, so the recall is both terrifying and widespread, although there have been no reported illnesses due to the possible contamination.

    The company is calling the action “a voluntary recall for NatureSource Natural Beef, Naturewell Natural Beef and National Beef commodity ground beef.” The packages in question are reported to have a use by/freeze date of August 7th and were produced on July 18th. The company is hoping that by releasing that information they can assist customers in avoiding ingesting the meat in question.

    Perhaps the scariest part of this story is that the meat was sold to wholesalers and food service distributors, meaning that a consumer could ingest the possibly tainted product without their knowledge. It is unknown whether or not the meat was released at a general retail level.

    National Beef Packing is no stranger to being forced to recall meat. The company was forced to recall around 22,000 pounds of product earlier this summer over similar concerns. With certain strains of E. Coli being potentially fatal, National Beef Packing should reconsider their protocols and packing methods. Not only could they lose valuable customers, if they haven’t already, but they could potentially play a part in the death of someone who just wanted a burger.

  • Reusable Grocery Bags are Filthy Garbage

    Reusable Grocery Bags are Filthy Garbage

    It’s a great trend, many people are choosing to buy reusable grocery bags rather than continuing to litter our landfills with thousands and thousands of paper and plastic shopping bags. It has also probably saved the stores involved thousands of dollars, but some recent research studies have found a big issue with the reusable bag trend.

    Basically a lot of people are remembering to bring the bags to the store, but too many are forgetting to wash those bags. After awhile that unwashed shopping bag becomes more like a used garbage bag that we keep putting our groceries in. Sound appetizing?

    Almost two years ago a University of Arizona study found that reusable shopping bags carry all sorts of extremely hazardous bacteria and germs including Salmonella and e-coli. The bags were even traced back to cases of death, with the most significant risk being to the elderly and very young.

    Charles Gerba, professor of soil, water and environmental science and co-author of the study at the University of Arizona comments on the results:

    “Our findings suggest a serious threat to public health, especially from coliform bacteria including E. coli, which were detected in half of the bags sampled,”

    “Furthermore, consumers are alarmingly unaware of these risks and the critical need to sanitize their bags on a weekly basis.”

    The study came out just before California wanted to pass a law banning disposable plastic bags at the grocery stores. I guess you can imagine what happened to that piece of legislation. The problem, as the study found, is more about a lack of awareness. People don’t realize that bacteria is breeding and growing in there. It doesn’t even occur to most people that they need to be sanitizing and washing those bags.

    Here’s a link to the study fittingly called, “Assessment of the Potential for Cross Contamination of Food Products by Reusable Shopping Bags“. The University report also features some interesting recommendations about how lawmakers and consumers can protect the population from the bacteria that forms in reusable bags.

    Here’s what they came up with:

    * States should consider requiring printed instructions on reusable bags indicating they need to cleaned or bleached between uses.

    * State and local governments should invest in a public education campaign to alert the public about risk and prevention.

    * When using reusable bags, consumers should be careful to separate raw foods from other food products.

    * Consumers should not use reusable food bags for other purposes such as carrying books or gym clothes.

    * Consumers should not store meat or produce in the trunks of their cars because the higher temperature promotes growth of bacteria, which can contaminate reusable bags.

    It’s not exactly a feel-good story, but I see people at the stores using some pretty grungy looking bags, so I thought it would be wise to raise some awareness about the issue. I never thought about the health concerns related to the bags, but certainly putting my groceries into a garbage bag to take home doesn’t sound attractive either.