King Soopers Recalls Beef Products Due to Salmonella Contamination
. By Ron Simon
Denver, COKing Soopers, Inc., a Denver, CO. establishment, has recalled approximately 500,000 pounds of ground beef products that may be linked to a foodborne illness outbreak of salmonellosis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The products subject to recall include:
1-pound chubs of (93/7) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "69558."
1 - 1.25-lb. tray packs of (96/4) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67164."
1 - 1.25-lb. tray packs of (96/4) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67664."
1 - 1.25-lb. tray packs of (93/7) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67663."
1 - 1.25-lb. tray packs of (93/7) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67163."
2.5 - 3-lb. tray packs of (93/7) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67654."
6-pack trays of (93/7) ground beef patties. Each package bears the identifying case code "67106."
4-pack trays of (93/7) ground beef patties. Each package bears the identifying case code "67115."
The ground beef chub products bear a use-by/sell-by date between "05/31/09" and "06/21/09;" the tray packs of ground beef bear a use-by/sell-by date between "06.02.09" and "06.23.09;" and the ground beef patty products bear a use-by/sell-by date between "06.01.09" and "06.22.09."
The ground beef products were produced on various dates ranging from May 23, 2009 through June 13, 2009 and bear the establishment number "EST. 6250" within the USDA Mark of Inspection, which is printed on the front of the packages. The ground beef products were distributed to retail establishments in Colo., Kan., Mo., Neb., N.M., Utah and Wyo.
Consumers that may have purchased these fresh ground beef products between May 23 and June 23, 2009, and have stored them in the freezer should look for and discard or destroy these products.
As a result of an ongoing investigation into an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 associated with ground beef products, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) notified FSIS of the problem. Epidemiological investigations and a case control study conducted by CDPHE and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that there is an association between the fresh ground beef products and 14 illnesses reported in Colorado.
The illnesses were linked through the epidemiological investigation by their less common pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern found in PulseNet, a national network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by the CDC.
This particular strain of Salmonella, Salmonella Typhimurium DT104, is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs, which can increase the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals.
Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. Salmonella infections can be life-threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems, such as infants, the elderly, and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. The most common manifestations of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within six to 72 hours. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea and vomiting that can last more than seven days.