Over 40,000 pounds of ground beef recalled due to E. coli concerns

A New Jersey company is recalling nearly 43,000 pounds of raw ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Saturday.

The raw ground beef products produced by Lakeside Refrigerated Services, a company in Swedesboro, New Jersey, were shipped to retail locations nationwide, according to FSIS. The recalled products were produced on June 1 and have the establishment number "EST. 46841" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

"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," reads the recall notice from FSIS. "While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome."

Some kinds of E. coli cause disease by producing Shiga toxin. The bacteria that make these toxins are called "Shiga toxin-producing" E. coli (STEC). The most commonly found STEC in the United States is E. coli O157:H7.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 265,000 STEC infections each year in the United States. E. coli O157:H7 causes more than 36% of these infections.

The recalled items

FSIS says that the problem was found during routine testing and that no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products had been reported.

The recalled products include the following:

• 1-pound packages containing "Value Pack Fresh Ground Beef 76% Lean / 24% Fat" with a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P53930-18
• 1-pound packages of "Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef" with a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P-53298-82
• 1-pound packages containing four quarter-pound pieces of "Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties" with use or freeze by date of June 27, 2020 and lot code P-53934-2
• 3-pound packages containing three 1-pound pieces of "Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef 93% Lean/7% Fat" with a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P53929-70
• 1-pound tray packages containing four quarter-pound pieces of "Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 85% Lean/ 15% Fat" with a use or freeze by date of 06/25/20 and lot code P53944-10
• 4-pound tray packages containing 10 quarter-pound pieces of "Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 80% Lean/20% Fat" with a use or freeze by date of 06/25/20 and lot code P53937-45
• 1-pound packages containing 4 quarter-pound pieces of ""Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 85% Lean /15% Fat" with a use or freeze by date of 06/27/20 and lot code P53935-25

The FSIS encourages consumers to check both their refrigerator and freezers for the recalled product. If found, the product should be thrown away or returned to place of purchase, according to FSIS. The agency released a few images of the product labels here.