The California E. coli ground beef recall announced recently by Montclair Meat Co. Inc. is the fourth recall of beef products this year due to E. coli O157:H7.
Montclair’s recall of 53,000 pounds of ground beef products brings the total volume of beef E. coli recalls to 298,000 pounds year to date in the U.S.
Montclair is located east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County, California. E. coli testing by USDA inspection is what detected the problem. These ground beef patties and other ground beef products were produced between the dates of May 3, 2010 through May 13, 2010, and were shipped to retailers and federal establishments for further processing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
No California E. coli outbreak has been reported, but individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician. As of yet, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has not posted a retail distribution list to show where in California E. coli meat products from Montclair were distributed.
According to a review of federal records by food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen, more than 1
million pounds of ground beef and beef cuts intended for grinding were recalled from market in 2009 by USDA-inspected slaughter plants and processors. The largest of the 15 recalls covered 545,699 pounds of ground beef produced last fall by Fairbank Farms of Ashville, N.Y.
Multi-state E. coli outbreaks associated with these recalls killed at least three people and sickened at least 80,
according to the records. The outbreaks resulted in at least 34 hospitalizations and eight confirmed cases of life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disease especially dangerous to children that causes kidney failure and many other serious health conditions.
