Over 130,000 pounds of ground meat has been recalled by Cargill Meat Solutions as a deadly E. Coli outbreak has occurred. One person has already died out of the under 20 that have become ill thus far.

The recalled meat was produced June 21st and the inspection mark on the inside will say “EST. 86R.” These products were distributed across the US so checking your meats is a very good idea in regards. According to the CDC, illnesses have been reported in several states. Those states include Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Florida.

E. Coli is a very serious infection that comes with severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, and sometimes fever. We have no way of knowing how many mild cases went undiagnosed/treated. While this kind of thing usually clears up within a week, it can become life-threatening depending on how it progresses.

To view a full list of the recalled products please click here. It is basically a variety of the companies ground beef/ground chuck products. While it might be a short list it is one worth looking at.

Investigation details go as follows according to the CDC:

Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback evidence indicates that ground beef from Cargill Meat Solutions was a likely source of this outbreak.

In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Fourteen (100%) of 14 people interviewed reported eating ground beef. Ill people purchased ground beef from several different grocery stores.

USDA-FSIS conducted traceback investigations from stores where ill people reported buying ground beef. Initial information collected from ill people in Florida indicated that the ground beef was purchased from various Publix grocery stores. On August 30, 2018, Publix Super Markets, Inc. recalled ground chuck products sold in several Florida counties.

Further traceback investigation by USDA-FSIS identified Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan, Colorado as the source of the contaminated ground beef linked to illness, including the recalled ground beef sold at Publix stores in Florida. On September 19, 2018, Cargill Meat Solutions recalled ground beef products that were produced and packaged on June 21, 2018. Products are labeled with the establishment number “EST. 86R” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were shipped to retailers nationwide. Visit the USDA-FSIS website for a full list of recalled products[PDF – 40.2 KB].

Laboratory testing identified the outbreak strain of E. coli O26 in leftover ground beef collected from the home of one ill person in Florida. WGS analysis showed that the E. coli O26 strain identified in the leftover ground beef was highly related genetically to the E. coli O26 strain isolated from ill people.

While this we hope is over with if you freeze any of your meats please do not hesitate to check dates. E. Coli is very serious and if it can be avoided, it should be. There have been lots of recalls here lately and it really is a good reminder that knowing the source of our food is very crucial.

(Image Via: Pixabay/chefkeem)