Contaminated Beef Products Recalled

Topps Meat Company, LLC has recalled over three-hundred thousand pounds of frozen beef products due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The ground beef was sold under a number of different brand names in various package sizes. This strain of bacteria can cause a variety of harmful health effects, and illnesses caused by the contaminated products have been reported and verified.

According to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, the recall involves about 331,582 pounds of frozen ground beef products. These include products sold under the "Butcher's Best", "Sand Castle Fine Meat", "Kohler Foods", "Westside" and "Topps" brands. For a full list of the sell-by dates and product specifications, visit the USDA web site. It is considered a "Class I" recall with a "high" risk to health involved.

All of the packages have a USDA inspection mark with the number "Est. 9748" printed inside it. They were produced in June and July, then sent to food service institutions in New York and retailers throughout the nation. A "cluster" of illnesses caused by the meat have been reported in the northeastern states, and verified by the New York Dept. of Health and Centers For Disease Control.

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention web site, it is estimated that E. coli O157:H7 causes sixty-one deaths per year in the United States. Potential effects of the bacteria strain - which generates a "powerful toxin" - include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and (less commonly) kidney failure. Other worse health effects may occur but are less likely. Young children and elderly people are most threatened by this strain of E. coli. It also indicates that people usually become ill two to eight days after being exposed to it. Additionally, the USDA web site states that people with weak immune systems are more likely to be harmed by it.