Hannaford Issues Recall After Ground Beef Is Linked To Salmonella Outbreak
An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium that has sickened 14 people has prompted Hannaford grocery stores to issue a recall on an undetermined amount of fresh ground beef, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
Through ongoing epidemiologic and traceback investigations and in-store reviews, FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health officials have established a link between the outbreak and the ground beef sold by the Scarborough, Maine-based grocery chain.
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The Salmonella Typhimurium strain associated with this outbreak is reported rarely in the U.S, according to the CDC which reports that, so far, 14 people have become ill, 11 of whom reported consuming ground beef. Half of the patients have required hospitalization and no deaths have been reported. The outbreak strain is resistant to multiple commonly prescribed antibiotics, including cephalosporins, beta-lactams and aminoglycosides.
Of the 14 case-patients, 10 reported purchasing ground beef at Hannaford stores in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine between Oct. 12 and Nov. 20. FSIS has not yet determined responsible suppliers and no other product description is available at this time.
The ground beef packages bear sell-by dates of Dec. 17, 2011 or earlier and were sold at Hannaford stores throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. FSIS and the company are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers' freezers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on FSIS' website at: www.fsis.usda.gov/
The products subject to recall are any size package of the following:
"73% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
"75% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
"80% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
"85% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
"90% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
"80% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"
"85% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"
"90% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"
"85% Nature's Place Ground Beef"
"90% Nature's Place Ground Beef"
Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, an infection which can be serious and sometimes life-threatening especially for children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. Symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever usually develop within 12 to 72 hours. In severe cases, conditions including meningitis, colitis and reactive arthritis can develop.
Those with legal questions about an illness or a hospitalization associated with this outbreak should contact the foodbrone illness attorneys at PritzkerOlsen for a free consultation.
