Put down that hamburger and drop your steak, the FDA is recalling 6.5 million pounds of beef products. 57 consumers are ill.
Put down that hamburger and drop your steak, according to the United States Department of Agriculture and Food Safety and Inspection Service, JBS Tolleson, Inc., located in Tolleson, Arizona, is recalling approximately 6,500,966 pounds of beef due to a possible salmonella contamination. The raw beef products, which included ground beef, were packaged from July 26,2018, to September 7,2018. In total 49 different non-intact beef products, including some which were packaged for Walmart, has been recalled. You can see the entire list here.
The products subject to the recall contain the establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection and were shipped nationwide. The brands include Cedar River Farms, Comnor Perfect Choice, Gourmet Burger, Grass Run Farms Natural Beef, JBS Generic, Showcase, and Showcase/ Walmart.
The FSIS was notified of the salmonella illnesses on September 5, with the first store receipt linking the purchase of the produce on September 19. From there the FSIS was able to track the products and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with state public health and agricultural partners have now determined that raw ground beef was the cause of the reported illnesses. Currently, there are 57 patients from 16 states that have been affected by the harmful bacteria from the recalled beef.
Symptoms of salmonella usually present themselves 12 to 72 hours after consuming the contaminated food. Some symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever that last from four to seven days. Most people recover on their own (with a ton of fluids and rest) but people who experience persistent diarrhea may need to be admitted to the hospital. Older people, children and people with low immune systems are more at risk during a salmonella outbreak and should be aware.
The FSIS and U. S. Department of Agriculture urge all consumers that eat ground beef products to cook the food to the proper internal temperature of 160ºF and to use a food thermometer while cooking.
