Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Food Poison Blog

The US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced yesterday that Texas American Food Service Corporation of Fort Worth, Texas, was recalling 14,800 pounds of ground beef products for possible E. coli contamination. The products were sold under American Fresh Foods labels (right).

Consumer products being recalled include:

• 2-pound approximate weight packages of "73/27 GROUND BEEF" bearing a sell-by date of "12.30.07"
• 2-pound approximate weight packages of "80/20 GROUND BEEF CHUCK" bearing a sell-by date of "12.31.07"
• 1-pound approximate weight packages of "85/15 GROUND BEEF ROUND" bearing a sell-by date of "12.31.07"
• 1-pound approximate weight packages of "90/10 GROUND BEEF SIRLOIN" bearing a sell-by date of "12.31.07"
• 1-pound approximate weight packages of "96/04 EXTRA LEAN GROUND BEEF, 4% FAT" bearing a sell-by date of "12.31.07"

• 40-pound "net wt." box of "73/27 100% GROUND BEEF; REWORK MAP"
• 260-pound "net wt." combo bin of " CHUCK 100% GROUND BEEF; REWORK MAP"
• 370-pound "net wt." combo bin of "SIRLOIN 100% GROUND BEEF; REWORK"
• ervice announced yesterday that

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The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that Blue Ribbon Meats, a Florida company, is recalling 8,200 pounds of frozen ground beef products for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.  The ground beef was produced between September 14 and September 27, and was shipped to two distributors.  The ultimate destinations the meat was designated for include a correctional institution in Florida and a distributor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

According to the FSIS press release, "The problem was discovered by Creekstone Farm (Est. 27), an Arkansas City, Kan., establishment that supplies the recalling company and inadvertently shipped product that they had on hold." 

The products subject to recall include:

• 10-pound boxes of "WESPAK B.R.'S BRAND SEASONED BEEF PATTIES FOR SALISBURY, 80/20."
• 10-pound boxes and 20-pound cases of "JNS FOODS, LLC, B.R.'S BRAND SEASONED BEEF PATTIES FOR SALISBURY, 80/20."
• 10-pound boxes and 20-pound cases of "JNS FOODS, LLC, BEEF PATTIE MIX, 80/20."
• 10-pound boxes and 20-pound cases of "JNS FOODS, LLC, BEEF PATTIES, 80/20."
• 10-pound boxes and 20-pound cases of "JNS FOODS, LLC, MEATLOAF SEASONED BEEF PATTIES, 80/20."

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Eight Washington state and Oregon residents have been confirmed ill with E. coli infections since eating E. coli-contaminated ground beef sold by Interstate Meat Dist., Inc. of Clackmas, Oregon, under the Northwest Finest brand.  The ground beef was sold in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington between July 19 and July 30, 2007.  Health officials believe consumers could still have the product in their freezers.

On July 21, E. coli attorney Bill Marler posted about this summer's meat recalls and outbreaks due to E. coli contamination.  Yesterday, one of the victims of an outbreak in Huntsville, Alabama, passed away. 

E. coli contamination in our food supply is a serious issue, as are other concerns such as contamination with Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens.  A post from earlier today highlights the downturn in consumer confidence since last year's E. coli outbreak traced to spinach.

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The Cattle Network posted a brief analysis of a study conducted by Harris Interactive between April 10 and April 16 - weeks before a number of E. coli outbreaks caused the recall of millions of pounds of ground beef.  The study showed that of 79 percent of consumers surveyed online, 86 percent are aware of food product recalls, and 29 percent believe that food product recalls are a serious concern. 

The poll also demonstrated that consumers especially attuned to recalls attributed to health or safety concerns, with 55 percent saying they would at least temporarily purchase another brand and 15 percent saying they would permanently switch brands.

Also noteworthy were consumers' varying levels of familiarity with six product recalls that occurred in the past 8 months that were measured in the study. Along with varying familiarity levels, the actual number of consumers able to name the brands involved in the recalls drops considerably.

For example, only 20 percent indicated they were familiar with a nationwide recall of chicken contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes. And of those familiar with the recall, only two percent were able to name the correct brand involved. Meantime, 17 percent named other industry brands not associated with the chicken recall.

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