Kalamazoo, Michigan, Beef Recall
Attorney Fred Pritzker is currently representing victims of E. coli outbreaks linked to ground beef. (Read about the E. coli recall and outbreak linked to ground beef sold at Byerly's and Lunds.) Please contact the firm if you need representation in a lawsuit against Marketplace Foods or any other party that may be associated with the following recall.
Michigan Beef Recall Information
Davis Creek Meats and Seafood of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is voluntarily recalling approximately 129,000 pounds of beef products, due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The beef products were produced between March 1 and April 30, 2007, and were shipped to foodservice distribution centers and Marketplace stores in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The problem was discovered by Michigan Department of Community Health as part of an E. coli O157:H7 illness investigation.
The following products are subject to recall. They include boxes of mechanically tenderized steaks and ground beef of varying weights. Labels on the boxes bear the establishment number “Est. 1947A” inside the USDA mark of inspection and a date code (on the top right corner of the label) between “060” and “120.” Only products with those date codes are subject to recall. Each box also bears a net weight declaration and the message “Manufactured for Gordon Food Service” or “Distributed by Gordon Food Service.” The list of recalled products includes ground beef, roasts, steak, and other cuts of beef.
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.
Generally, steaks are not considered a high-risk source of E. coli O157: H7. However, the steak products subject to recall were mechanically tenderized and that process may have transferred the bacteria from the surface to the inside of the product. FSIS reminds consumers and food preparers that mechanically tenderized beef products or those injected with a marinade or solution require a higher cooking temperature to achieve microbiological safety than steaks that are not mechanically tenderized. Therefore, these products should not be served “rare.”
The Food Code, a national guidance document specific to foodservice, states that injected meats, including those mechanically tenderized, should be cooked to an internal temperature of 155°F for a minimum of 15 seconds as measured with a food thermometer.
