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To: sweez who wrote (3568)11/25/1998 9:05:00 AM
From: CIN-CIU-E  Respond to of 4356
 
OFF TOPIC 07:41 PM ET 11/24/98

Florida firm recalls 359,000 pounds of tainted beef


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Colorado Boxed Beef Co., a Florida
meat processing firm, is voluntarily recalling 359,000 pounds of
ground beef products that may be contaminated with a deadly
strain of the E. coli bacteria, the U.S. Agriculture Department
said Tuesday.
It was the second voluntary recall announced by the
department's Food Safety and Inspection Service in the past few
days, underscoring the need for consumers to be extremely
careful when handling and cooking ground meat products.
No illnesses were reported in connection with the latest
recall, the Agriculture Department said.
The Florida recall covers all ground beef products sold
under the ''Colorado Gold'', ''200% Guarantee'', and
''Winn-Dixie'' brand names with ''Est. 7353'' inside the USDA
inspection legend on the label with sell-by dates from Nov. 6
through Nov. 11.
Consumers were being told to return all ground beef patty
products with sell-by dates of Nov. 6-10, and any other fresh
ground beef products with sell-by dates of Nov. 7-11.
The products were distributed to Albertson's, Wal-Mart Super
Centers, and Winn-Dixie stores in Florida, Georgia, North
Carolina and South Carolina. Some ''Colorado Gold'' products
were also shipped to Jacksonville Naval Station in Florida.
No comment was immediately available from the company.
There has been a rash of manufacturer recalls of possibly
tainted meat in recent weeks, including ground beef, hot dogs
and luncheon meats.
The most recent recall came on Friday when Glenmark
Industries Ltd., a Chicago meat processing firm, voluntarily
recalled 601,000 pounds of frozen ground beef produced this past
summer.
''As always, consumers should be careful with any ground
meat product and be sure to cook it well enough,'' said Beth
Gaston at the FSIS.
She urged particular caution over the coming Thanksgiving
holiday, noting that consumers should make sure that any
stuffing put into the traditional turkey dinner reached a
temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
USDA said it learned of the problem with the beef from the
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which
regularly tests ground beef sold at retail stores.
Product sampled by Florida authorities at a retail store in
Orlando was found positive for E-coli 0157:H7, a harmful
bacteria that can cause illness, diarrhea and even death.
The bacteria is killed when meat is cooked to an internal
temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
FSIS Administrator Thomas Billy acknowledged that the
sell-by dates on the ground beef in question had since expired.
''USDA is informing the public so consumers who may have
purchased product will check their freezers,'' he said.
''Although we urge customers to return this product, we want
to use this opportunity to underscore how important it is to
always thoroughly cook ground beef,'' he added.
Consumers can call the department's meat and poultry hotline
at 800-535-4555 or look on the department's website at
fsis.usda.gov.

^REUTERS@