As of Saturday, 21.7 million pounds of ground beef and related products suspected of E.oli contamination has been recalled by Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey. The suspected beef is known to have sickened 25 people in eight states so far. Of those, three are known to have contracted E.coli from the beef, with a further 22 reports under investigation.
[LawyersandSettlements.com] was one of the first sites to highlight the initial recall, when it was relatively small in comparison to the heft of the current recalled inventory. Initially 332,000 pounds were voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer, in concert with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta (CDPC).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also gotten into the act, suspending the grinding of all meat products at the Topps plant after inspectors found some issues concerning safety.E.coli can cause intestinal discomfort that usually lasts for about a week in healthy adults, but can have more dire consequences in the elderly, the very young or with individuals having weakened immune systems.
The recalled meat represents all Topps brand products with either a 'sell by' date, or a 'best if used by' date of September 25th 2007 to September 25th 2008. The recalled hamburger also features a USDA establishment number of EST 9748.
Both pieces of information can be found on the back panel of the package. The tainted meat was distributed in retail grocery stores and food service institutions throughout the United States.
Symptoms of E.coli contamination in the human body include severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and, in extreme cases, kidney failure. Consult your doctor immediately if you have any of the systems - and especially if you fall into one of the groups at greater risk of more intense suffering.
A complete listing of all recalled Topps meat products can be found [here]
The company regrets what has happened, a company spokesman says, and assures that Topps is working with microbiologists and food safety experts to ensure this potentially deadly contamination doesn't happen agai