(RoyalPatriot.com )- The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced a nationwide recall of over 120K pounds of ground beef over concerns that it may be contaminated with E. coli O103, however, currently no cases of illness have been reported.
The New Jersey-based processing facility, Lakeside Refrigerated Services, issued the recall of 120,872 pounds of ground beef that was produced between February 1 and April 8.
Though the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) clarified that there have been no confirmed reports of people having adverse effects from eating the beef products, consumers were still instructed not to eat any products affected by the recall. Consumers are to either return the ground beef to the store or dispose of the product.
The products under recall carry the establishment number EST. 46841 inside the USDA mark of inspection. A complete list of products and product codes under recall can be viewed HERE.
The recall was prompted after potential contamination was found during routine testing of some imported products. The FSIS said testing detected the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype 0103. While most strains of E. coli are harmless, this particular strain can cause people to become ill about two to eight days after consuming the contaminated product. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea and vomiting.
Treatment usually includes “vigorous rehydration” and other supportive care. Antibiotic treatment is “generally not recommended” for this strain.
Usually, people recover within a week. While rare, some may develop a more severe infection, including hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. However, that is uncommon with this particular strain of E. coli.
E. coli is a bacteria commonly found in the environment, as well as in the intestines of both animals and humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control, most strains of E. coli are harmless. However, other strains can make people ill, causing diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other conditions.
