Utah, Oct. 4, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — At least six Utahns have been sickened by ground beef contaminated with Salmonella, and four additional cases are pending final confirmation Thursday, officials said.
The Arizona company JBS Tolleson, Inc. has recalled approximately 6.5 million pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Newport, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced in a news release.
The recalled products include raw ground beef packaged from July 26 to Sept. 7. The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations and institutions nationwide.
Fifty-seven people have become ill from ground beef contaminated with Salmonella across 16 states, with illness onset dates ranging from Aug. 5 to Sept. 6, an epidemiological investigation showed.
Salmonella-contaminated food can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within 12 hours to 72 hours and the illness usually lasts four to seven days. However, older people and infants with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe illness and some severe cases may require hospitalization.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service noted that it is concerned some of the products may still be in consumers’ freezers.
“Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them,” the USDA statement said. “These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact the JBS USA Consumer Hotline at 800-727-2333.
