Two people may have died after eating bad beef. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 28 people have gotten sick from ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli.

Fairbank Farms recalled 545,699 pounds of fresh ground beef Friday because of the possible link. The company says customers who have the recalled meat should return it to their grocery stores for a full refund. Stores include:  ACME, BJ’s, Ford Brothers, Giant Food Stores, Price Chopper, Shaw’s, and Trader Joe’s.

Go here for a complete list of the products recalled.

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Another holiday weekend, another beef recall…

Just before Memorial Day weekend, there was this ground beef recall because the meat was contaminated with E. coli. Now, 380,000 pounds of various beef products are being recalled because of another possible E. coli outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says at least 23 people in nine states may have gotten sick after eating beef produced by JBS Swift Beef Company of Greeley, Colorado. And at least 12 people have been hospitalized, two of them had kidney failure.

Health officials investigating the E. coli illnesses say most people who got sick ate ground beef, and many said it was undercooked.

You can find more information about the recall here.

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]

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Last month, it was ground beef. Just before that, it was peanut products. Now it’s cookie dough. Another recall because the food may make us sick.

Nestle has voluntarily recalled its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after a warning from the Food and Drug Administration that they might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria. The FDA warns not to eat any varieties of the prepackaged cookie dough. If you have any of the products, Nestle says you can return them to your local grocer for a full refund.

Since March, the FDA says there have been 66 reports of people getting sick in 28 states after they ate raw cookie dough – 25 people were hospitalized.

The products in the recall include all varieties of Nestle Toll House refrigerated Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub; Cookie Dough Tube; Limited Edition Cookie Dough items; Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough. See a complete list here.

If you have any questions, call Nestle consumer services at 1-800-559-5025 and/or visit their website, verybestbaking.com.

E. coli O157:H7 can cause abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea, often with bloody stools. If you’ve eaten any prepackaged, refrigerated Toll House cookie dough and have had any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately.

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The government is going to let food producers zap fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce with enough radiation to kill micro-organisms like E. coli and salmonella that have made people sick for decades. It’s the first time the Food and Drug Administration has allowed any produce to be irradiated at the levels that are needed to protect against illnesses. The debate continues over whether this will affect nutritional value, safety, and taste.

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Just as the illnesses from tomatoes and peppers seem to be winding down, the fear of contaminated food moves from fruits and vegetables to meat.

Last month, tainted ground beef from a meat plant was linked to about 50 illnesses. Now, the same plant – Nebraska Beef Ltd. – has recalled 1.2 million pounds of other beef products that might have made more than 30 people sick.

The recall includes primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef that were made on June 17, June 24 and July 8. The products have been linked to illnesses in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Whole Foods Market sold some of Nebraska Beef’s products. It announced a recall Friday of fresh ground beef sold June 2 to August 6 because of possible E. coli contamination.

Early in July, a spokesperson for the USDA said federal officials were satisfied that Nebraska Beef had made enough changes to ensure product safety.

There have already been several lawsuits filed against Nebraska Beef because of last month’s E. coli outbreak and recall.

Food Safety

This is a good time to remind you to cook meat thoroughly. The USDA says ground beef should have an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees to kill E. coli bacteria, if there are any.

E. coli Stats and Symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says E. coli makes about 73,000 people sick and kills 61 people each year in the United States. Most of those who die have weak immune systems, like the elderly or the very young.

Symptoms of E. coli infection include stomach cramps and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days.

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I always order water with lemon when I eat out, but I may be sticking to just plain water now that I’ve seen the results of an investigation Good Morning America did. GMA tested lemon wedges from three sets of chain restaurants: Applebee’s, TGI Fridays, and Chili’s… and ewwww, I’m grossed out by what they found!

GMA went to a total of six restaurants, all in New Jersey. They swabbed each lemon they were served then sent the samples to a microbiology lab at New York University’s Medical Center.

The lab found yeast and harmless bacteria that are commonly found on fruits and in our environment. But four of the samples were also contaminated with fecal matter, including one sample with E. coli.

Is it enough to make you sick? The lab director says it’s a small risk – but it’s still a risk and just the thought of it is enough to make me sick – it is so very gross!

GMA found the lemons from both of the Applebee’s and TGI Friday’s restaurants had fecal matter. The one with E. coli was from the Applebee’s in Clifton, New Jersey. The lemons from both Chili’s locations were free of fecal matter or E. coli.

Representatives from TGI Fridays and Applebee’s tell GMA they are taking this very seriously. You can read statements from both chains here.

Of course, these restaurants aren’t alone. Last year, a New Jersey microbiologist tested lemons at 21 restaurants and found disease-causing bacteria on two-thirds of them, including fecal bacteria. Nice.

I guess you could just squeeze the lemon juice into your drink and toss the rest of the lemon instead of putting the whole slice in your drink. Or just skip the lemon… and the nasty germs altogether. What will you do?

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

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