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Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Laura Reiser
| Clarification: This recall affects only certain products produced at the Nebraska Beef Ltd. company, located in Omaha. It does not relate, implicate, or otherwise affect beef in the State of Nebraska. Please note this important distinction. |
WASHINGTON, Aug 14, 2008 - Nebraska Beef, Ltd., an Omaha, Neb., establishment, is clarifying information from and expanding its recall announced on Aug. 8 of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef to include such products bearing the company name “Nebraska Beef Ltd” that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
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| RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONSUMERS FOR SAFE FOOD HANDLING
Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Also wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water. Clean up spills right away.
Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will not be cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and egg products and cooked foods.
Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood away from other food that will not be cooked. Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, seafood and egg products, and a separate one for fresh produce and cooked food.
Cook raw meat and poultry to safe minimum internal temperatures – as measured with a food thermometer: meat such as beef, veal and lamb, 145 °F ground beef and pork, 160 ºF, and poultry, 165 ºF.
Refrigerate raw meat and poultry within two hours after purchase (one hour if temperatures exceed 90º F). Refrigerate cooked meat and poultry within two hours after cooking (one hour if temperatures exceed 90 °F). |
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The total amount of product subject to recall is approximately 1.36 million pounds. The expansion of approximately 160,000 pounds and the clarifying information include:
Primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef produced on June 24, whose shipping containers and labels bear the establishment number “EST. 19336″ inside the USDA mark of inspection and the company name “Nebraska Beef Ltd” The products may or may not bear a green sticker. Primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef produced on July 8, whose shipping containers and labels bear the establishment number “EST. 19336″ inside the USDA mark of inspection, the company name “Nebraska Beef Ltd.” as well as a 2-inch plain, circular green sticker on one side of the shipping box.
Poundage of products bearing the green sticker were included in the 1.2 million pounds originally recalled, but were not identified in the product description with the company name “Nebraska Beef Ltd.” in the Aug. 8 announcement.
FSIS has concluded that the production practices employed by Nebraska Beef, Ltd., on June 24 were insufficient to effectively control E. coli O157:H7. The products subject to the expansion may have been produced under insanitary conditions. The expansion was not prompted by foodborne illness investigations.
These products were sent to establishments and retail stores nationwide for further processing and will likely not bear the establishment number “EST. 19336″ on products available for direct consumer purchase.
Consumers with questions about the recall should contact company Vice President of Administration James Timmerman at 402-733-0456. Media with questions about the recall should contact company representative William Lamson at (402) 397-7300.
The problem prompting the recall announced on Aug. 8 was discovered through a joint investigation with state departments of health and agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FSIS. As of Aug. 11, there were 26 culture-confirmed cases in 10 states and 1 culture-confirmed case in Canada identified as part of this outbreak. This count is based on continuing testing, analysis and investigation.
FSIS is continuing its investigation into any products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 or that are associated with illnesses and will take appropriate action when necessary.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should consult a medical professional.
Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The tool-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline (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. |
My husband and I ate at the Country Cottage restaurant 4 times within the dates of Aug. 15 through Aug. 25. 2008. We live at Locust Grove and my husband owned Charlie’s In-n-Out and I teach music there. The Ingles man who died was a musician and a christian and we as a community hate that this happened. I heard yesterday that he ate sweet potatoes and catfish. Catfish is cooked at a very high temperature and there is very litle reason to believe that catfish is the culprit. I ate catfish there on the 17 but did not eat sweet potatoes because I am allergic to the red dye 40 which causes me to break out in a rash.
I think if there were a recall on the sweet potatoes because of E-Coli, that it could very likely have caused his death. A girl from our school who has been in ICU may have also eaten the sweet potatoes. The Cottage hardly ever serves ground beef except for the meatloaf and it would be interesting to note if the victims ate any. The sweet potatoes come packaged and the Cottage would not be responsible for packaging which was contaminated. I went to the doctor this week and a blood test showed I do not have any infection in my bloodstream. I just recently had valve replacement and would never put myself at risk for an infection which could infect my heart. I am not in any way biased and hope that you would survey the situation to prevent others from becoming ill.
Sincerely,
Letitia Keene