Beef Recall 2013: 22,000 Pounds Recalled Over E.coli Bacterial Infection - Check Your Freezer

The people of Kansas will have to settle for more pork over beef for now, as US food safety officials recently found that National Beef Packing's products contained Class I health hazard E. coli bacteria during a routine inspection, reports indicate.

This resulted in the recall of 22,737 pounds of beef products for the company, based in Liberal, Kansas. A sample of the beef products recalled had a June 14 sell date, meaning that some consumers may have infected products in their freezers.

So far, no illnesses or emergencies have been reported in relation to the consumption of these beef products.

The US Food Safety and Inspection Services warned that consumption of infected beef products could result in serious health risks, and even death. The items recalled were reported to be packaged in clear chubs of 10 pounds, distributed by the National Beef Packing Co., and were shipped to wholesale stores and locations throughout the Kansas region. Authorities warn to be mindful of these packaged items:

- package code 0481: 10 lb. packages of "National Beef" 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck
- package code 0421: 10 lb. packages of "National Beef" 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef
- package code 0484: 10 lb. packages of "National Beef" 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck

These packages were produced on May 25.

Consumers are advised to fully cook any beef products in the meantime to an 160 F internal temperature.

A National Beef Packing C. spokesperson recently stated, "recall is voluntary, and there have been no reported illnesses related to the recall," according to the DailyMail. Adding that they have contacted customers who they know purchased products involved in the recall.

E. coli bacteria is especially dangerous to young children, the sick, and the elderly. The bacteria causes diarrhea and dehydration, which may lead to extreme cases that can result in death.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli is second only to salmonella as the top cause for outbreak-related hospitalizations in the US in 2009-2010, where E. coli in beef caused 46 hospitalizations and 3 deaths.