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By Dan Flynn on October 4, 2018
Raw ground beef is the probable source of a new 16-state Salmonella outbreak involving 57 illnesses, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Thursday, along with a massive recall.
The recall is for more than 6.5 million pounds of beef products from JBS Tolleson Inc. in Tolleson, AZ. The traceback investigation by FSIS, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state health and agriculture agencies have identified JBS as the common supplier of the various raw, non-intact beef products.
The recalled products bear establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The recalled beef was shipped to retail locations and institutions nationwide. The recalled products list is 31-pages long and may be accessed only in PDF form here. The raw, non-intact beef items, including ground beef, were packaged on various dates from July 26 to Sept. 7 this year.
BS Tolleson, a unit of JBS USA Holdings Inc., is located at the west end of Arizona’s Salt River Valley. It employs more than 1,200, making annual payments of more than $700 million for livestock.
Multiple FSIS-regulated products were first linked to the outbreak investigation on Sept. 5. The first store receipt potentially linking the purchase of FSIS-regulated product to a case-patient was obtained on Sept. 19. FSIS was then able to begin traceback of ground beef products. To date, eight case-patients have provided receipts or shopper card numbers, which have enabled product traceback investigations.
The investigation into the Salmonella Newport outbreak is continuing with FSIS, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local health officials all participating.
Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment. In some persons, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.
FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160°F. Other cuts of beef should be cooked to a temperature of 145 °F and allowed to rest for at least 3 minutes. The only way to confirm that ground beef or other cuts of beef are cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, https://1.usa.gov/1cDxcDQ.
Greeley, CO-based JBS USA is the American food processing company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS S.A., a Brazilian company that is the world’s largest beef producer.
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