USDA says Nebraska Beef slow to respond to E. coli
Monday July 7, 7:28 pm ET
By Josh Funk, AP Business Writer
USDA says Nebraska Beef responded slowly to concerns after E. coli linked to its products
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Federal officials said Monday that Nebraska Beef Ltd. responded slowly to indications that its products might be tainted with E. coli, though it has now voluntarily recalled more than 5 million pounds of meat.
Nebraska Beef was notified in the first half of June that two samples of its trim to be used in ground beef had tested positive for E. coli, USDA spokeswoman Amanda Eamich said.
The company's products were later linked to an outbreak of E. coli infections affecting 41 people in Michigan and Ohio. The recall announced last week was expanded from 531,707 to 5.3 million pounds on Thursday.
"The establishment didn't take appropriate actions when positives were found," Eamich said. "It's all about their ability to control E. coli 0157:H7."
Nebraska Beef spokesman Bill Lamson disagreed that the company was slow to respond.
He said it added another lactic acid bath, which helps kill bacteria, to its plant, which is in Omaha, and has hired an outside lab to test its products.
The recalled beef was sold to wholesalers and distributors for further processing. So consumer labels likely will not include the "EST 19336" code that identifies Nebraska Beef.
Nebraska Beef initially recalled trim produced on five dates between May 16 and June 24 and expanded the recall to include all trimmings and other products for use in ground beef that it produced between May 16 and June 26.
Twenty-two people have been hospitalized since the first case of E. coli linked to the beef was identified May 30, according to the CDC. One person has developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome.
Lamson said notices the company received indicate at least two other companies supplied meat for the ground beef involved.
He said Nebraska Beef has cooperated with federal investigators, and it didn't believe a recall would be needed when it received the first test results.
"We're following their normal procedure," he said.
Eamich said Nebraska Beef has now made enough changes to its food-safety plan to satisfy federal inspectors that its products are safe. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture will work with Nebraska Beef in coming weeks to enhance its safety plan.
Typically, the department only shuts down a meat-processing plant when there is an immediate public health threat, Eamich said.
Lamson said privately held Nebraska Beef slaughters about 2,000 head of cattle a day and employs about 800 people. He said it is too soon to know how much the recall will cost.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that E. coli sickens about 73,000 people and kills 61 each year in the United States. Most of those who die have weak immune systems, such as the elderly or very young.
Cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees should kill E. coli bacteria, if they are present. The USDA recommends that consumers use a meat thermometer while cooking to verify they have cooked meat thoroughly.
The E. coli 0157:H7 variant can cause severe illness and even death in humans. Symptoms of E. coli infection include stomach cramps and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days.