"e.coli" news and stories

First we had the Topps frozen hamburger patty recall that eventually closed the company, and now comes this.

Cargill Meat Solutions has recalled almost 845,000 pounds of frozen patties. Several cases of sickness have been reported, and the company did find E. coli in their plant. The patties are sold under the name American Chef Selection of Angus Frozen Ground Beef Patties. The meat was produced in August and has been sold in Sam's Clubs locations across the country.

You didn't think this week was going to go by without a food recall notice, did you?

Topps Meat Company is recalling over 331,000 pounds of frozen hamburger because of E. coli concerns. Six people have gotten sick from the contamination, and three of them had to be hospitalized.

The patties were distributed under several different names and several different box sizes and dates. Here's a complete list of the recalled items from the USDA.

This week's food recall announcment: Dole salad mix.

No one has gotten sick yet, but a store in Canada sold a bag of Dole Hearts Delight that tested positive for E. Coli. The recall is for nine states and includes all packages of Dole Hearts Delight. The states involved are Maine, Mississippi, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana. The recall also includes Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada.

Here's a rundown on the lot numbers and the dates on the packages.

With all the concern about this month's E. coli outbreak caused by fresh spinach, I have been operating under the assumption that one should avoid all spinach both cooked and raw. Given my meat intake, avoiding Popeye's favorite veggie in all its forms is no big deal for me.

I was ordering dinner at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants the other night when I found myself craving some greens to go with my short ribs. Without a second thought, I asked the waiter for a side of baby spinach with garlic. As he returned to the kitchen it dawned on me that I had ordered greens that might be harboring E. coli. Rather than change my order, I threw caution to the wind. The bright green baby spinach leaves studded through with tiny pieces of garlic and sitting atop a shallow pool of their cooking liquid were delicious.

As I walked home I was more than a little concerned that I might fall ill with cramps and perhaps worse. As you may now have guessed nothing of the sort occurred. The reason, as I just learned from an article in The Boston Globe this morning is that cooking destroys E. coli in spinach. So eat your greens with gusto, as long as they're cooked, that is.

Source

U.S. health officials issued a warning yesterday urging consumers to avoid eating bagged fresh spinach because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 50 and resulted in one fatality.

The death took place in Wisconsin where 20 others were sickened by the bacteria. The other states where consumers were exposed to the bacteria are Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.

The FDA has not yet determined the outbreak's specific cause, but it has linked it to bagged fresh spinach. The agency has thus far not been able to pinpoint the E. coli to a specific grower, brand or supplier and is advising consumers not to eat the produce.

Source