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An Oregon company is pulling nearly 30,000 pounds of raw ground beef from stores in several states over possible E. coli contamination, according to KATU.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the recall on Thursday (January 6), and the affected products came from Interstate Meat Distributors Inc. The compromised meat was produced on December 20, 2021, officials say.
Reporters pointed out the products also have the establishment number "EST. 965" "inside the USDA mark of inspection or printed next to the time stamp and use- or freeze-by date."
"The issue was reported to [USDA Food Safety Inspection Service] after a retail package of ground beef was purchased and submitted to a third-party laboratory for microbiological analysis and the sample tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. FSIS conducted an assessment of the third-party laboratory’s accreditation and methodologies and determined the results were actionable," USDA wrote.
Officials say these products were shipped to stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), symptoms of E. coli can include dehydration, diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, and fever. While most people get better within five to seven days, others may face severe to life-threatening symptoms if infected, especially children 5 and under and older adults.
You can find the list of affected products and their labels here.
FSIS urges customers who purchased this ground beef to throw it away or return it to the store.