New Hampshire Resident Dies in E. Coli Outbreak

New HampshireA New Hampshire resident has died after consuming ground beef tainted by E.coli O157:H7.

The death was connected to the recent recall of over half a million pounds of (545,699) lbs of ground beef products produced by Fairbank Farms, of Ashville, New York. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it became aware the meat might be tainted by E. coli O157:H7 bacteria during an investigation of a cluster of food-borne illnesses in New England.

New Hampshire health officials announced the death on Saturday but have not released information about the victim. Two other New Hampshire residents were also sickened by E. coli.

USDA said it worked with health officials and "determined that there is an association between the fresh ground beef products subject to recall and illnesses in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts."

Fairbank Farms announced the recall on Saturday. Recalled products include ground beef old under various labels at B.J.'s Wholesale Club/Burris, Trader Joe's, ACME, Shaw's Supermarkets Inc., Price Chopper, Giant Food Stores, and Ford Brothers. The products were sold in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The beef was produced in mid-September and labeled for sale before the end of the month, said USDA.

Ron Allen, CEO of Fairbank Farms, said in a statement "We're assisting our customers in conducting this recall, and continue to urge consumers to check their freezers for ground beef products that are listed in the recall. Consumers who identify these products should return them to the point of purchase for a full refund."

Health officials said Saturday that the recalled Fairbank Farms products were produced between September 14-16 and may have been labeled with sell-by dates from Sept. 19-28. Each package carried the number "EST. 492" inside the USDA inspection mark or on the nutrition label.

The Fairbanks Farms recall follows another recent ground beef recall - that of Crocetti's Oakdale Packing Co. of Brockton, Massachusetts, which does business under the name of South Shore Meats, Inc. It recalled 1,039 pounds of fresh ground beef patties and other products after tests showed the presence of E. coli O157:H7.

More than 20 schoolchildren and adults from Rhode Island were sickened, including two sixth-graders who were hospitalized after consuming the contaminated meat during a field trip to Camp Bournedale in Plymouth in October. Massachusetts officials say tests showed the ground beef collected at the camp is the same strain of E. coli confirmed in two of the children.