October 1, 2007

US company recalls 21.7 million pounds of ground beef

The Topps Meat Co. based in Trenton, New Jersey on Saturday expanded its recall of frozen hamburger patties to include 21.7 million pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with

E. coli bacteria. 

The bacteria was believed to have sickened more than a dozen people in eight states.

The recall was a significant increase from the 332,000 pounds in the first recall notice, also issued last week.

The recall covers all Topps products with either a "sell by date" or a "best if used by date" between September 25 this year and September 25, 2008.

All recalled products also have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748, which is located on the back panel of the package and-or in the USDA legend, the company said.

The USDA suspended the grinding of raw products at the Topps plant after inspectors found inadequate safety measures.

Geoffrey Livermore, Topps' operations vice president, said Topps has reviewed and strengthened its procedures with microbiologists and food safety experts and apologised to consumers for any inconvenience.

So far, three people were confirmed to have been sickened by Topps products while another 22 are still under investigation. Most cases were found in the north-eastern US and Florida.

E. coli causes intestinal illness that can last a week for adults and can be lethal for the very young.