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GLENMARK RECALLS GROUND BEEF PATTIES NATIONWIDE FOR E. COLI O157:H7WASHINGTON, November 20, 1998 -- Glenmark Industries Ltd., a Chicago meat processing firm, is voluntarily recalling three weeks' production of frozen ground beef patties that may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today. The June 24 through July 15 production involves approximately 601,000 pounds of frozen ground beef, of which 366,000 pounds were sold in retail packages that can be directly purchased by consumers, who may still have it in their freezers. The company has already contacted its wholesale distributors and customers to retrieve the product. Boxes or cartons of patties subject to recall can be identified by consumers by the following product names and codes:
Product packaged for retail sale may have been distributed nationwide. USDA learned of the problem when a customer became ill and was admitted to the hospital in Albany, NY. The NY State Health Department tested the product from an open package from the freezer of the ill customer and found E. coli O157:H7. FSIS sampled patties from the same lot obtained from a warehouse in Western Massachusetts and confirmed the positive finding. E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly pathogen that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, the elderly, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. E. coli O157:H7 bacteria have been implicated in several recent outbreaks of foodborne illness across the United States. "Because of the potential hazard of foodborne disease from consumption of undercooked or underprocessed meat and poultry products contaminated with pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, we urge consumers who may have purchased the suspect product to return it to the place of purchase," said Thomas J. Billy, administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. "USDA is informing the public so consumers who may have purchased product will check for the product in their freezers," Billy said. Consumers with questions about the recall may phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The Hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. # USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Website at http://www.fsis.usda.gov NOTE TO EDITORS: Media inquiries to the company should be directed to David Van Kampen, president, Glenmark Industries, 1-888-611-4330. |
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