Ground Beef Recalled Over E. Coli Concerns

An Illinois-based meat company is recalling about 219 pounds of ground beef due to concerns the meat may have been contaminated with E. coli, the food-borne bacteria blamed each year for tens of thousands of cases of potentially life-threatening food poisoning.

While no illness have been reported among people who ate meat from E.S. Miller Packing Co., the company announced the recall to alert consumers to the potential risk, according to a statement from the United States Department of Agriculture.

The recalled meat was sold to consumers and local restaurants in north central and northeast Illinois, the USDA said.

E. Coli Food Poisoning

Escherichia coli, or E. coli as it is better known, is a family of bacteria that can cause food poisoning symptoms including abdominal cramping, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea that may be bloody. In most healthy people, the bacteria causes only mild to moderate symptoms that subside in a few days and do not require hospitalization or medical care.

However, some people, particularly the frail and elderly, children, and people with weakened immune systems, may develop severe, even life-threatening respiratory infections, kidney disease, pneumonia, and other serious complications from E. coli contamination.

About 70,000 people in the United States are sickened by E. coli each year, officials said.

Recent E. Coli Outbreaks

E. coli has been in the news a lot lately, with several high-profile product recalls announced due to confirmed or suspected contamination.

Last month, Nestle USA announced the recall of its Toll House brand prepackaged, refrigerated cookie dough products after the Food and Drug Administration said it had received 66 reports since March 2009 of consumers becoming sick after eating the raw, uncooked dough. The reports came from 28 states and at least 25 of those sickened had to be hospitalized.

The FDA later confirmed that samples of cookie dough taken from a Nestle processing plant tested positive for strains of E. coli.

Also in June 2009, a Colorado beef processor recalled about 300,000 pounds of meat over concerns about E. coli bacteria. At least 18 people reported being sickened after eating beef from JBS-Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo.

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