A Michigan meatpacking company is recalling more than 167,000lb of ground beef because of a possible E coli contamination that has left at least 15 people ill, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (Fsis) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Minnesota department of agriculture notified Fsis last week of a group of people who had become sick after consuming ground beef. The agency subsequently tracked the meat back to the Michigan-based Wolverine packing company. A sample of ground beef from the company tested positive for E coli on Wednesday.
Wolverine packing co said in a statement that it continued to work with Fsis on its investigation.
“Wolverine has notified all customers that received product encompassed by the recall. We are also conducting an intensive internal audit to fully review suppliers and processes in place, including rigorous quality control measures, to maintain the highest standards of production,” the company said. “As a third-generation, family-owned and operated company in business for nearly 90 years, we are committed to food and consumer safety. That is our highest priority.”
The items subject to the recall have been shipped to restaurants across the United States and have a “use by” date of 14 November 2024. They have a production date of 22 October.
Most types of E coli bacteria are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea, per the Mayo Clinic, but other strains can have more severe symptoms including stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.
There is also an ongoing recall of carrots that have been linked to E coli and led to at least 15 hospitalizations. McDonald’s also announced recently it would spend $100m after an E coli outbreak tied to onions served on its quarter-pounder hamburgers.
