Colorado Salmonella Outbreak Leads to Ground Beef Recall

A ground beef recall has been issued for nearly half a million pounds of meat distributed to Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, due to the possibility that it may be contaminated with a treatment-resistant strain of Salmonella.

At least 14 people in Colorado have been identified as part of a salmonella outbreak that may be linked to ground beef manufactured by King Scoopers, Inc. of Denver. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the recall on Wednesday for approximately 466,236 pounds of ground beef.

The meat was sold in both chubs, trays and patties, and all carry an establishment number of “EST. 6250.” The chubs have a use-by/sell-by date between “05/31/09” and “06/21/09,” the tray packs have a use-by/sell-by date between “06/0209” and “06.23.09,” and the patties have a use-by/sell-by date between “06.01.09” and “06.22.09.”

The FSIS says it doubts any of the products remain in stores, but expects some consumers may have purchased and stored the meat in their freezers for future use. Anyone with the recalled ground beef products should discard them immediately, the FSIS said.

The FSIS says the strain of Salmonella associated with the outbreak, Salmonella Typhimurium DT104, has built up a resistance to many commonly prescribed drugs, increasing the risk of hospitalization or the failure of treatment. It is the same strain of the bacteria that was linked to a peanut butter outbreak last year that sickened hundreds and killed at least nine people who had eaten products containing peanuts processed by Peanut Corporation of America.

Salmonella food poisoning, called salmonellosis, can cause symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fevers, chills, headache, nausea and vomiting, and can be life threatening to the elderly, children, or people with weakened immune systems.