COLUMBIA, SC – Because the product was shipped to South Carolina, in an abundance of caution the South Carolina Department of Agriculture is forwarding the following voluntary recall notice from the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) for ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. Media and consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company president Arkady Miretsky at (404) 534-9337.
GEORGIA FIRM RECALLS GROUND BEEF PRODUCTS DUE TO POSSIBLE
E. COLI O157:H7 CONTAMINATION
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2007 – Arko Veal Co., a Forest Park, Ga., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 1,900 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
The product subject to recall includes:
- 50-pound cases of “BEEF PATTIES MIX,” “80/20.” Each case bears the establishment number “Est. 20766” inside the USDA mark of inspection and a product code of “502250.” Each case bears a production date of “07-Oct-07,” “08-Oct-07” or “09-Oct-07.”
The beef products were produced between Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, 2007, and were distributed to restaurants in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.There was no retail distribution of these products.
The problem was discovered through routine FSIS microbiological testing. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.
Media and consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company president Arkady Miretsky at (404) 534-9337.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.
Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
#
NOTE: Access news releases and other information at FSIS’ Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/