6.5 Million Pounds Of Beef Products Recalled For Possible Salmonella Contamination

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture has announced the recall of beef products produced by an Arizona-based meat processor.

In a statement released on Thursday, the FSIS said that JBS Tolleson, Inc. has issued a recall of around 6,500,966 pounds of various raw, non-intact beef products over fears that these may be contaminated with Salmonella newport.

Affected products were packed anytime between July 26, 2018 and September 7, 2018, and bear the establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Brand names affected by the recall include Comnor Perfect Choice, Grass Run Farms Natural Beef, JBS Generic, Cedar River Farms Natural Beef, Gourmet Burger, Showcase and Showcase/Walmart, according to NBC New York. The meat products subjected to recall can be found on the FSIS website.

The FSIS said that it was notified of an investigation of salmonella illnesses on September 5. On September 15, it received a store receipt that showed a potential link to purchase of FSIS-regulated products.

Eight case patients have provided receipts or shopper card numbers that helped with product traceback investigations, allowing the FSIS, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as agriculture and public health partners to determine that raw ground beef was likely the source of the illness.

JBS was identified as the common supplier of the ground beef products.

Investigations have so far identified 57 cases of Salmonella newport in 16 states. The illness onset ranged between August 5 and September 6, 2018.

The FSIS said that it will continue to work with public health partners and will provide updates once these become available. Consumers who purchased the affected products are urged to throw them away or to return them.

“Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact the JBS USA Consumer Hotline at (800) 727-2333. Members of the media with questions regarding the recall can contact Misty Barnes, Public Relations Specialist at JBS USA, at (970) 506-7805,” the FSIS said.

Food contaminated with Salmonella can cause the foodborne illness salmonellosis. Symptoms of the illness include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and fever — which would appear within 12 to 72 hours of consuming contaminated food. The illness typically lasts between four to seven days.

Most people recover from the illness without treatment — but for some, symptomatic diarrhea can become so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.

“Rates of invasive infections and death are generally higher among infants, older adults, and people with immunosuppressive conditions (including HIV), hemoglobinopathies, and malignant neoplasms,” the CDC said.

The CDC said that salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 450 fatalities in the United States per year.

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