Whole Foods Beef Recall May Involve Previously Recalled Beef

Whole Foods Markets announced a voluntary beef recall in 23 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada after 9 consumers purchasing beef in its Massachusetts and Pennsylvania stores were sickened by E. coli infections. The Whole Foods beef recall is for beef patties and ground beef sold in Whole Foods stores between June 2 and August 6, 2008. Customers should dispose of recalled beef and bring either the packaging or receipt to a Whole Foods store for a refund.

Massachusetts health authorities confirmed the seventh case of E. coli infection linked to the Whole Foods beef recall in that state yesterday.

The Whole Foods beef reall covers the following locations: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D. C., Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Canada.

Whole Foods announced the beef recall on its website, noting that the tainted beef comes from Coleman Natural Beef and was processed at Nebraska Beef processing facility. Coleman beef was the subject of a previous United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recall for E. coli contamination. Before the Whole Foods beef recall, Whole Foods says it sought and received assurances from Coleman that none of the beef it was providing to Whole Foods was subject to the earlier USDA recall. In light of the Whole Foods beef recall, the accuracy of those assurances is being investigated.

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