JBS Ground Beef Recall Expands to 12 Million Pounds
Since October 4, 2018, JBS Tolleson Inc. has expanded its ground beef recall twice due to a Salmonella outbreak that has made almost 250 people sick since August. More illnesses are expected because it can take four or more weeks for a person exposed to the bacteria to become sick, be diagnosed, confirmed and reported to the CDC. The latest expansion – announced on December 4, 2018 – brings the total nationwide recall to more than 12 million pounds. The recall notice said: “The scope of this recall expansion now includes an additional 5,156,076 pounds of raw beef products, which were produced and packed from July 26, 2018, to Sept. 7, 2018. FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers…”
Beef recall advice
Consumers are advised to check their fridges and freezers for the recalled ground beef and other “non-intact” raw beef that contains the establishment number ‘EST. 267’ inside the USDA mark of inspection. If any is found it should thrown away or returned to place of purchase.
In addition to this, the FSIS reminds all consumers to safely prepare raw meat products and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees F. Other cuts of beef should be cooked to a temperature of 145 degrees F and then allowed to rest for at least three minutes before consuming. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat. Consumers should be aware that food contaminated with salmonella bacteria doesn’t usually look, smell or taste spoiled.
If you or a loved one has eaten or suspects that they have eaten one of the recalled products and now has symptoms of Salmonella poisoning please seek medical attention right away. The doctor should be told about the possible exposure to the tainted meat because Salmonella symptoms overlap with other illnesses which can lead to misdiagnosis.
Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include:
- Fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal cramps
A healthy adult is usually sick for four to seven days. The CDC warns that infants, children, seniors and anyone with a weakened immune system is at greatest risk for a serious illness, sometimes life-threatening.
It is possible for someone to be infected with the bacteria but to not get sick or show any symptoms, unknowingly spreading the infection to others.
Food recall statistics
According to 2016 food recall data gathered by Food Safety Magazine for Canada and the United States, there were 764 food recalls, a 22 percent increase over 2015. The main reasons for food recalls were undeclared allergens, Listeria contamination and foreign-matter contamination. Undeclared allergen recalls centered mostly around milk, eggs, peanuts and wheat with a total of 305 product recalls. Listeria contamination recalls were mostly related to frozen fruit and vegetable products and included about 358 consumer products. Foreign matter contamination recalls mostly involved products that had pieces of glass, metal, plastic, wood and rubber and accounted for about 44 product recalls.
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