American Food Service is recalling 3,170 pounds of ground beef distributed to Southern California restaurants because of possible contamination by E. coli O157:H7, the federal Food Safety and Inspection Service said.
The FSIS said Saturday the recall resulted from information the agency received from a federally regulated establishment that believed it had contaminated ground beef manufactured Jan. 31 by Pico Rivera, Calif.-based American Food Service, or AFS.
Though much of the beef may have been used by the time the recall was initiated, the FSIS said some of the product may remain in restaurant freezers.
A division of the United States Department of Agriculture, the FSIS did not state whether any illnesses have been linked to the recalled beef, which was sold as fresh patties and in bulk packaging.
FSIS officials by did not return a call seeking clarification about any possible related illnesses and whether testing determined that the AFS product had been contaminated.
According to the FSIS, all the recalled products have labels that include the establishment number, “EST. 1913,” within the USDA seal of inspection. The specific products being recalled are:
- (559002) American Companies 100% Pure Ground Beef 30-lb. case
- (552102) American Companies 2/1 R Ground Beef Patties 80/20 10-lb. case
- (553102) American Companies 3/1 R Ground Beef Patties 80/20 10-lb. case (554102) American Companies 4/1 R Ground Beef Patties 80/20 10-lb. case
- (554106) American Companies 4/1 R Ground Beef Patties 80/20 10-lb. case
- (554302) American Companies 4/1 L Ground Beef Patties 80/20 20-lb. case
- (555302) American Companies 5/1 L Ground Beef Patties 80/20 20-lb. case
- (556102) American Companies 6/1 R Ground Beef Patties 80/20 10-lb. case
- (553302) American Companies 3/1 L Ground Beef Patties 80/20 20-lb. case
- (554402) American Companies 4/1 J Ground Beef Patties 80/20 20-lb. case
- (557102) American Companies 7/1 R Ground Beef Patties 80/20 10-lb. case
- (556106) American Companies 6/1 R Ground Beef Patties 80/20 10-lb. case
- (552106) American Companies 2/1 R Ground Beef Patties 80/20 10-lb. case
- (559004) American Companies Ground Beef Bulk 80% Lean Taco Grind 60-lb. case
- (559202) American Companies 100% Pure Ground Beef For Chili (Coarse Grind) 30-lb. case
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says E. coli can cause diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure, and poses the most risk to children, seniors and people with weakened immune systems.
The FSIS’s full release on the recall can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_008-2011_Release/index.asp.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].