The threat of school children contracting HUS E. coli from recalled beef made by Huntington Meat Packing Co. is continuing to prompt warnings.
The latest comes from the Kern County Department of Public Health in Bakersfield, California. Kern County officials announced that beef products potentially contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 reached grocery stores, restaurants and schools in the county.
A health department press release warned all establishments to examine inventory for any of the 5 million pounds of beef products recalled by Huntington since January 18. The southern California meatpackers is under criminal investigation for practices considered unsafe to human health, according to the USDA.
So far, no illnesses have been linked to the E. coli contamination detected in Huntington beef. But in Kern County, officials say they are still investigating to determine which schools, restaurants and food establishments may have received the meat.
“The Kern County Superintendent of Schools and all school districts have been notified and those found to have cases on site are taking appropriate action,” the press release said.
The original USDA press releases about E. coli beef recalls by Huntington said the products were sold to distributors, restaurants and hotels in California. Schools were not mentioned as recipients, but the meat has been found in school lunch programs from Michigan to Texas to California.
E. coli HUS infection is especially dangerous in children. National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen has compiled a separate HUS E. coli FAQ Web page to help parents understand the problem.
Essentially, E. coli O157:H7 bacteria emit a powerful toxin that can overwhelm a person’s defenses, even breaking through the blood-brain barrier and causing neurological damage known as E. coli in the brain.
A complete list of Huntington’s recalled beef products has been compiled by Pritzker Olsen, which continues to monitor the federal investigation into unsafe meat packing at the firm.
