More than 5 million more pounds of raw beef products have been added to a national recall over concerns about possible salmonella contamination, and the number of people sickened has soared to 246 patients in 26 states, federal officials said Tuesday.
The initial recall announced by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service in early October included 6.5 million pounds of raw beef products. The addition Tuesday brings the total recalled amount to 12,093,271 pounds, and authorities say they’re concerned it could be in consumers’ freezers. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the beef items, including ground beef, were packaged between July 26 and September 7, 2018.
The number of those sickened has increased drastically in recent weeks. Initially it was around 60 people in 16 states. Tuesday’s recall marks a more than four-fold increase in the number of cases in two months; nearly 60 people have been hospitalized as a result of the current outbreak.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to a retail locations and institutions nationwide, including Wisconsin. See a list of the specific products being recalled here.
Anyone with questions about the recall can contact the consumer hotline at 1-800-727-2333.
Salmonella can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within three days of eating the contaminated product, and the illness can last up to seven days. While most people recover, people with weakened immune systems are more likely to need to be hospitalized.
