Nationwide Ground Beef Recall in Effect After E. Coli Contamination Found

Following the discovery of E. coli contamination in a sample of ground beef shipped to restaurants across the U.S., a ground beef recall has been issued.

As Newsweek reported, 15 people have so far fallen ill while exhibiting signs of food poisoning due to E. coli — all in Minnesota. E. coli was discovered in a sample of Wolverine Packaging Co. ground beef as a result of the following investigation, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Health then notified the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The FSIS confirmed a definite link between the Wolverine Packaging Co. ground beef and the reported illnesses. On Nov. 20, a sample collected from said ground beef tested positive for a particularly dangerous strain of E. coli, E. coli O157.

“For many other types of food poisoning bacteria, you need large numbers to make you ill, but for E. coli O157, even low number of the bacteria can make you ill,” Natalie Stanton, a chartered environmental health officer and founder of The Safety Expert in the U.K., told Newsweek.

According to CNN, fresh products that may be affected have a use-by date of Nov. 14, while frozen products bear a production date of Oct. 22. Furthermore, potentially affected products carry an establishment number EST. 2574B in the USDA mark of inspection.

The FSIS remains concerned that certain restaurants receiving supplies from Wolverine Packaging Co. may still have affected product in their freezers and urged those that find potentially tainted products in their stores to safely dispose of them.

E. Coli Outbreaks Prevalent in 2024

This recall is only the latest in a string of headlines regarding E. coli contamination this year.

In late October, E. coli contamination of fresh onions served by McDonald’s was determined to be the culprit behind an outbreak that resulted in 104 infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That outbreak led to 34 hospitalizations, as well as the development of hemolytic uremic syndrome — a condition that can lead to kidney failure — in four patients. The E. coli O157 strain was in evidence in this case, as well.

Then, on Nov. 16, the Food and Drug Administration issued a recall of various brands of organic carrots sold by Grimmway Farms. Those carrots ended up on store shelves belonging to grocers such as Trader Joe’s, Publix, and Kroger, among others. The CDC outlined that, as a result of the consumption of these carrots, 15 hospitalizations and a death have occurred so far.