970826 Meat Processor Recalls Burger Due to E.Coli
August 13, 1997
An Arkansas meat processor has recalled about 80,000 frozen hamburger patties after 16 Colorado consumers became sick from grilled burgers linked to E.coli contamination, the Agriculture Department says.
Hudson Foods Inc. distributed the meat in June and early July. Agriculture Department officials said the burgers were unlikely to still be on store shelves but since the meat was sold frozen, consumers may have stored it in their home freezers.
The Agriculture Department said it was alerted by Colorado health officials that several consumers in Colorado fell ill in early July after eating the hamburgers believed to be contaminated with the potentially deadly E.coli O157:H7 bacteria.
"At least 16 cases showed the same DNA fingerprinting pattern. The majority of those are probably linked to the product that was recalled," said Pam Shillam, an epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Five people were hospitalized for treatment, she said. The strain of E.coli suspected of contaminating the beef can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration, and in some cases, kidney failure.
Consumers become ill by eating infected meat that has not been fully cooked, or by handling raw meat and failing to wash their hands.
The illnesses were reported throughout the state, including the Colorado Springs area and Denver as well as lightly-populated counties, Shillam said.
"It's high probability that a number of cases were related to burgers that were not adequately cooked," she said. "A number of these people were camping or barbecuing and it's a little more difficult to get things adequately cooked."
Hudson Foods, of Rogers, Ark., said it voluntarily recalled three products:
-- 48-ounce packages of "Hudson Beef Burgers, Individually Quick Frozen" with the code "156A7"
-- three-pound packages of "Hudson 100% Pure Beef Patties, Individually Frozen" with the code "156B7"
-- 15-pound boxes of "Hudson 60 - 1/4 lb Beef Patties Uncooked, Individually Quick Frozen" with the code "155B7."
"We're going to do additional sampling in the Columbus, Nebraska plant where this product was produced," said Jacque Knight, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service. "We felt the prudent thing to do was to notify the public because this is the type of product that might remain in home freezers for some time."
Agriculture Department laboratory tests of some of the Hudson Foods hamburger patties showed the presence of E.coli, she said.
The Nebraska plant that processed the hamburgers is required to keep extensive records about its beef supply and distribution. A federal meat inspector is based at the plant and performs daily checks of procedures, Knight said.
E.coli contamination occurs when the intestinal tract or feces of slaughtered animals is mixed into meat.
Four years ago, 500 people became ill and four children died in the Pacific Northwest as a result of eating fast-food restaurant hamburgers tainted with the bacteria.
Hudson Foods, a producer of poultry and egg products and luncheon meats, said the company had no other information immediately available about the outbreak of E.coli.
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