California Hamburger E. coli Outbreak and Valley Meat Hamburger Recall
A California hamburger E. coli outbreak and recall has been announced by USDA today; starting with a 1 million-pound recall of Valley Meat hamburger that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly human pathogen.
Valley Meat Company of Modesto, California, produced about 1 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties and bulk hamburger meat from October 2, 2009, to January 12, 2010, that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The potentially tainted hamburger was sold to retailers and restaurant suppliers in California, Arizona, Texas and Oregon.
Seven E. coli O157:H7 laboratory-confirmed infections -- all sharing the same genetic fingerprint -- have been reported by the California Department of Public Health.
Law firm Pritzker Olsen, which represents victims in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness, strongly urges consumers in California, Arizona, Texas and Oregon to check their freezers for the recalled hamburger meat. Click here to see the complete FSIS Valley Meat E. coli recall list.
Consumers should look for any frozen hamburger marked with the USDA establishment number EST 8268 inside the USDA mark of inspection. That means it was produced by Valley Meats in Modesto.
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.
In 5 to 15 percent of cases, individuals develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) -- related conditions that are life threatening due to kidney, brain, nervous system and heart damage that can result from the release of powerful toxins from E. coli.
If you or a loved one has symptoms of E. coli infection, including bloody diarrhea and painful stomach cramps, see your physician immediately and request that a stool culture be taken.
For answers to legal questions about this California hamburger E. coli outbreak, call Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and we have won millions for our clients.
Our lawyers have won many hamburger E. coli lawsuits against large manufacturers, restaurants and other purveyors of contaminated meat. We also advocate strongly and actively for stronger food safety laws nationally and at the state level to keep potentially deadly pathogens like E. coli O157:H7 out of hamburger and the rest of the food supply.
