Davis Creek Meats and Seafood of Kalamazoo, Michigan issued a voluntary recall of 129,000 pounds of steaks, ground beef, and other beef products. The recalled beef products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. All of the beef products were produced between March 1 and April 30, 2007 and were shipped to food service distribution center and Marketplace stores in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The possible contamination was found during an investigation by the Michigan Department of Community Health of an E. coli O157:H7 illness investigation. At least 2 cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been linked to the recalled ground beef.
Products involved in the recall include boxes of mechanically tenderized beef products and ground beef of varying weights. Labels on the boxes bear the establishment number “Est. 1047A” inside the USDA mark of inspection.and a date code on the top right corner of the label between “060″ and “120.” Only products with these date codes are subject to the beef recall. The recalled boxes also have a net weight declaration and the message “Manufactured for Gordon Food Service” or “Distributed by Gordon Food Service.” The list of recalled products includes ground beef, roasts, steak, and other cuts of beef.
Usually steaks are not high risk sources of E. coli O157:H7, but the steaks involved in this recall were mechanically tenderized. This process may have transferred E. coli from the surface of the steaks to the inside of the product. Steaks that are mechanically tenderized or that have been injected with a marinade or solution need to be cooked to higher temperatures than typical steaks to achieve microbiological safety. These steak products should not be cooked rare or medium rare.
