Kroger announced on Wednesday that it is recalling all ground beef products sold between May 21and June 8.
The products subject to recall include all varieties and weights of ground beef bearing a Krogerlabel sold at stores in Michigan and Columbus and Toledo, Ohio.
Kroger is asking customers to check their freezers for ground beef products – regardless ofpackaging – with sell-by dates of May 21 through June 8 and return them to stores for a full refundor replacement.
A raw beef sample sold at a central Ohio Kroger store tested positive this week for E. coliO157:H7, 10TV News reported.
The Ohio departments of Health and Agriculture confirmed that the tainted beef is linked to theoutbreak in Ohio and Michigan.
The test results verified that the E. coli in the beef sample shared the same geneticfingerprint with the bacteria that sickened 19 Ohioans in recent weeks.
The beef sample was purchased at the Kroger Martketplace in Gahanna, 10TV News reported.
Customers with questions about the recall should contact the Kroger Consumer Hotline at800-632-6900.
A second sample, purchased by a consumer from a Kroger in Fairfield County, was sent to the OhioDepartment of Agriculture Consumer Analytic Lab in Reynoldsburg and tested negative.
In a statement posted in all of its stores on Wednesday, Kroger said it is working with thestates of Ohio and Michigan to determine the source of the ground beef.
"The ground beef in question is no longer available in our stores," the statement read."Customers who have ground beef in their freezers purchased from May 21 to June 8, 2008 shoulddiscard it or return it for a full refund."
"When we're talking about an outbreak of this magnitude, then my instinct is to work veryclosely with health officials to make sure we can identify the supplier who has provided us andother retailers with contaminated meat," said Kroger Food Safety Manager gina Nicholson.
In Michigan, health officials issued a public alert late Tuesday warning that eight of the 15people with genetically linked cases in that state ate ground beef purchased from Krogerstores.
Of the 17 confirmed cases in central Ohio, 15 of the cases were genetically matched, meaningthey are probably from a common source. Two other possible cases were also being investigated.
Cases were first reported in early June, 10TV News reported. Seven people have beenhospitalized, with cases ranging from preschool to the late 70s.
Anyone experiencing abdominal cramps and diarrhea, possibly being bloody and severe, shouldconsult their doctor.
Central Ohio public health officials offer the following prevention recommendations:
Wash your hands often.
- This is spread from contact with fecal material that contaminates the food or hands.
- Especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers
- Before and after eating or preparing food.
- After touching animals.
- If someone is sick with diarrhea in the home, use paper towels for drying hands. Do notprepare food for others.
- The bacteria can be shed for weeks after the symptoms go away.
Cook all meat thoroughly.
- Cook ground beef to 160° F. Test the meat by putting a food thermometer in the thickest part ofthe meat. Do not eat ground beef that is still pink in the middle.
- If a restaurant serves you an under-cooked hamburger, send it back for more cooking. Ask for anew bun and a clean plate, too.
- Never put cooked hamburgers or meat on the plate they were on before cooking. Wash the meatthermometer after use
Scrub all fruits and vegetables.
- Don't spread bacteria in your kitchen. Keep raw meat away from other foods.
- Wash your hands, cutting board, counter, dishes, and knives and forks with hot soapy waterafter they touch raw meat, spinach, greens, or sprouts.
- Drink only pasteurized milk, juice, or cider. Frozen juice or juice sold in boxes and glassjars at room temperature has been pasteurized, although it may not say so on the label.
- Drink water from safe sources like municipal water that has been treated with chlorine, wellsthat have been tested or bottled water.
- Do not swallow lake or pool water while you are swimming.
Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for continuing coverage.
Previous Stories:
June 24, 2008: E. Coli Found In Locally Sold Ground Beef
June 23, 2008: Central Ohio E. coli Cases Up To 16
June 20, 2008: Another Central Ohio Case Of E. coli Confirmed
June 19, 2008: Health Department Links More E. coli Cases
June 17, 2007: 12th Case Of E.coli Reported
June 16, 2008: 4 More Cases Of E. coli Confirmed
June 12, 2008: Another E. Coli Case Confirmed
June 11, 2008: 6 E. Coli Cases Under Investigation
