Valley Meat E. coli Recall Covers 1 Million Pounds of Ground Beef
The Valley Meat E. coli recall announced by USDA covers 1 million pounds of frozen patties and bulk ground beef, including hamburger sold under the following brand names: Valley Meat Co., Bigger Valley Burger, Supremas Beef Patties, Hearst, The Butcher's Cut, Valley Meat Co. Certified Black Angus Beef Burgers and Smashburger.
The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the recall was prompted by possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. In connection with the recall, FSIS announced a cluster of seven matching E. coli O157:H7 infections in California. The outbreak continues to be investigated and officials urge consumers in California, Texas, Arizona and Oregon to check freezer stocks for the tainted products.
All packages recalled by Valley Meat Company of Modesto, Calif., bear the Establishment number EST 8268 inside the USDA mark of inspection. The suspect ground beef was produced between October 2, 2009, and January 12, 2010, but the first illnesses were detected months later.
Click here to see the complete Valley Meat E. coli recall list. Many of the products in this Valley Meat E. coli recall are individually quick frozen patties, known in the industry as IQF pattties.
E. coli lawyer Fred Prtizker has called on Valley Meat to pay all medical expenses, lost wages and travel costs of the victims of this outbreak. His firm, Pritzker Olsen, is conducting its own investigation. Pritzker said that while other legal issues, including compensation for pain and suffering, are pending, the families deserve the peace of knowing these immediate costs are covered.
Pritzker also stated that he believes food service providers should do more to ensure that meat suppliers are following state-of-the-art techniques to keep deadly pathogens out of the food supply.
“It is really up to food service providers to demand that the meat they provide to customers is produced under the safest possible conditions,” Pritzker said. “Food service providers have the market power to change dangerous practices.”
Pritzker Olsen is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and has years of experience winning ground beef E. coli lawsuits. Over the years the firm has collected millions for its clients and lawyers for the firm are actively involved in efforts to eliminate potentially deadly pathogens from our food supply.
Free case consultations in the Valley Meat E. coli outbreak can be obtained by calling 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.
