WASHINGTON, Oct. 7,
2001—Cub Foods, a retail store at 191 South Larkin Avenue, Joliet, Ill., is
voluntarily recalling approximately 40 pounds of fresh ground beef that may
be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
The ground beef product being
recalled was produced on Oct. 1 and packaged in various sizes. Each
package is marked “Cub Foods” and bears the name “CHUCK GROUND BEEF
80/20.” The package code is “Sell By Oct. 02, 01” and “Use or Freeze By
Oct. 03, 01.”
The ground beef was distributed to
retail customers in Joliet, Ill.
“Because of the potential hazard of
foodborne illness from consumption of meat products contaminated with
harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, I urge consumers who have
purchased the suspect product not to eat it and return it to the place of
purchase,” said Thomas Billy, FSIS administrator. “FSIS is informing the
public so consumers who may have purchased and stored the product in their
refrigerators or freezers can know to check.”
The problem was discovered through
routine FSIS microbiological sampling.
E. coli O157:H7 is a
potentially deadly bacteria 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.
FSIS has received no reports of
illnesses associated with consumption of this product. Anyone concerned
about an illness should contact a physician.
Consumers with questions about the
recall may contact Dave Wiemer, Supervalu’s Director of Quality Assurance,
at (952) 294-7459. Media with questions may contact Rita Simmer, Supervalu’s
Vice President of Corporate Communications, at (952) 828-4429.
Consumers with food safety questions
can 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, and recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
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