City Market recalls ground beef; urges customers to pull products

MONTROSE  — The parent company of City Market pulled three types of ground beef right before the big holiday weekend because of possible E. coli contamination.

Wednesday, The Kroger Co. expanded a voluntary recall of ground beef products produced by Nebraska Beef, based in Omaha, Neb., according to a news release.

On June 25, the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified the national company that Nebraska Beef’s ground beef was linked to E. coli illnesses in Michigan and central and northern Ohio, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Then on June 30, a second recall involving 531,707 pounds of ground beef was announced.

Kroger decided to expand the recall to additional states, including Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico.

After being notified, City Market immediately pulled all products involved. They recommend that consumers do the same. They can return the products to City Market for a full refund and replacement.

The products involved consist of:

— Ground beef Angus sold only at the full service counters where customers purchase items in customized quantities bearing the “Sell By” dates of June 20 through July 3.

— Nebraska Beef’s Private Selection 91 percent lean natural ground beef, 1-pound packages, sold in self service counters bearing the same “Sell By” dates.

— Any Angus ground beef sold in the self service cases bearing “Sell By” dates of June 20 through July 3.

Kroger’s toll-free telephone line for customer questions is (800) 632-6900.

E. coli (Escherichia coli) is a large and diverse group of bacteria. Though most strains are harmless, others can make you sick, according to the CDC.

Some kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses.

Symptoms usually appear three to four days after exposure, but may be as short as one day and as long as 10 days, according to CDC.

The symptoms often begin slowly with mild belly pain or non-bloody diarrhea that worsens over several days.

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Food safety tips:

— Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water. Immediately clean spills.

— Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will not be cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and egg products and cooked foods.

— Consumers should only eat ground beef or ground beef patties that have been cooked to a safe internal temperature of 160°F.

— Color is not a reliable indicator that ground beef or ground beef patties have been cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli.

— The only way to be sure ground beef is cooked enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature.

— Refrigerate raw meat and poultry within two hours after purchase or one hour if temperatures exceed 90°F. Refrigerate cooked meat and poultry within two hours after cooking.

— If a restaurant serves you an under-cooked hamburger, send it back for more cooking. Ask for a new bun and a clean plate, too.

— Never put cooked hamburgers or meat on the plate they were on before cooking. Wash the meat thermometer after use.

Source: CDC