Ground Meat Recall Prompted by E. Coli Outbreak - 1 Million Pounds May Be Affected

A meat processor recalled about 1 million pounds of ground beef products Friday after seven people were sickened by E. coli contamination.


Valley Meat Co., of Modesto, sold the potentially contaminated beef patties and ground beef in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and internationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

This is a story I have been following for some time.  See these:

• E. coli - The Story I Have Been Following
• Follow Up - Big Ag -We Need Protections Not Republican Stonewalling
• Today's Must Read - Is Your Meat Safe?  

The California Department of Health notified the USDA in mid-July of a cluster of E. coli-related illnesses, leading to the recall. The department said at least seven California residents were sickened between February and June. A meat sample collected from a patient's freezer confirmed the source of the outbreak.


Most of the infected patients were in Northern California, with exposures in Marin, Mendocino, Placer, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou and Kern counties. None of the patients required hospitalization, and all have recovered, Health Department spokesman Ralph Montano said.

Symptoms of infection often include often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and a low fever. More serious infections can lead to kidney failure, brain damage and sometimes death.


To be safe, buy fresh ground meat from a butcher you trust.  Many ground beef products are an amalgamation of multiple different beef products, including waste products, from multiple different meat processing companies.   Garbage in - garbage out!