Fairbank Farms recalls ground beef on e. coli concerns

New York company Fairbank Farms is recalling 545,699 pounds of ground-beef products that may be contaminated with a deadly type of E. coli bacteria, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

The USDA said its Food Safety and Inspection Service became aware of the contamination "during the course of an investigation of a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses."

People have gotten sick from eating the beef in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts, the USDA said. Beef is being recalled from the following retail stores: Trader Joes, Price Chopper, Giant, Ford Brothers, BJ's, Shaw's and Lancaster and Wild Harvest.

"E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhoea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure," according to the USDA. "The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness."