Thursday, October 25, 2007 - 11:23 AM EDT
Hialeah's Blue Ribbon recalls frozen beefSouth Florida Business Journal
Hialeah-based Blue Ribbon Meats has voluntarily recalled 8,200 pounds of frozen beef that may be laced with E. coli bacteria.
The recalled products are 10- and 20-pound boxes of beef patties with the brand names Wespak B.R. and JNS Foods.
There have been no reports of illness associated with the beef, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a news release.
The frozen beef products, produced Sept. 14-27, were intended for a Florida correctional institute and a distributor in St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the USDA said.
Blue Ribbon supplier Creekstone Farm, in Arkansas City, Kan., inadvertently shipped the beef, which it had put on hold after discovering there may be contamination, the USDA said.
The USDA classified the recall as a ''Class I," which means there is a reasonable probability that the using the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. Last month, the parents of a Pembroke Pines teenager sued Wal-Mart, claiming their daughter nearly died after contracting an E. coli infection from frozen hamburger patties purchased at a local store. The company that produced those patties, New Jersey-based Topps Meat Co., later went out of business.