October 9, 2006

 

Jim's Market recalls beef products on suspected E. coli contamination

 

 

Ground beef products from an Iowan company has been voluntarily recalled Friday (Oct 6) after authorities suspected shipments of being contaminated by E. coli.

 

The meat is suspected of having the same E. coli strain responsible for three deaths in a recent outbreak of contaminated spinach, the US Food Safety and Inspection Service said.

 

Jim's Market and Locker Inc of Harlan recalled some 5,200-hundred pounds of ground beef Friday (Oct 6) after federal inspectors questioned the testing methods used by a slaughterhouse in Nebraska.

 

The US food safety service said Jim's Market and Locker Inc. of Harlan ground beef products are affected by the voluntary recall, and people who bought the items should return them to the place of purchase.

 

The meat patties and other cooked products from the company were sent to distributors in seven states: Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.

 

Microbiological testing found 0157:H7 strain of the bacteria, USDA said.

 

The owner of the meat company, Jim Goeser, maintains his beef is safe, and there was no need for the recall requested by the federal government. He added that the meat has likely already been consumed by thousands of people but no illnesses have been reported so far and none likely would.

 

Goeser added that tests have disproved the government's claim that his meat may have the same E-coli strain responsible for the recent outbreak of contaminated spinach.

 

The ground beef was produced Aug 31 and Sep 1 and each package bears the establishment number 'Est. 2424' inside the USDA mark of inspection

 

The potentially deadly E. coli strain lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and typically is linked to contamination by fecal material.