United Food Group Expands Voluntary Recall to Include an Additional 370,000 Pounds of Ground Beef Due to Possible E. coli

The 11 affected states are Oregon, California, Washington, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

File image courtesy: sph.emory.edu/

(VERNON, Calif. ) - United Food Group LLC, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the California State Department of Health Services, is expanding the ongoing voluntary recall to include an additional 370,000 pounds of ground beef that may have been contaminated with the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

This is the first product recall in the United Food Group's 30-year history, and because the company's policy is to err on the side of caution in its effort to protect public safety, it is voluntarily expanding its original June 3rd recall based on concerns raised by the California Department of Health Services.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to food-borne illnesses. Persons who believe they have been exposed to E. coli O157:H7 should seek medical attention immediately.

Consumers are reminded that ground beef cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F will kill harmful bacteria and is safe to eat. The best way to be sure ground beef is properly cooked is to use an accurate food thermometer. For more information about food safety, visit the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service Web site, fsis.usda.gov/, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, cdc.gov/.

The labels of the products subject to recall bear the establishment number "EST. 1241" inside the USDA mark of inspection or printed on the package. All of the products bear a sell by date of "Apr/29/07" or "Apr/30/07", a freeze by date of "Apr/28/07" or "Apr/30/07" or a produced on date of "April 13-07".

The fresh chubs, or tubes of ground beef, subject to this expanded recall were produced at United Food Group's facility in Vernon on April 13th, and were distributed under the brand names:
-- Moran's All Natural
-- Miller Meat Company
-- Stater Bros.
-- Inter-American Products, Inc.
-- Basha's

The recalled products were available at Albertson's, Basha's, Grocery Outlet, Fry's, "R" Ranch Markets, Sam's Club (California, Arizona and Nevada Clubs only), Save-A-Lot, Save-Mart, Scolari's Wholesale Markets, Smart and Final, Smith's, Stater Bros. and Superior Warehouse, in 11 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Montana.

Stores in the 11 states confirmed that none of the recalled product remains available for sale and all products currently in stock are not part of the recalled product. Consumers in the 11 states who may be concerned about Moran's All Natural ground beef, Stater Bros., Miller Meat Company and Inter-American Products Inc. fresh chubs may contact United Food Group's 24-hour toll-free hotline at (800) 325-4164 for assistance. Consumers with recalled products should either throw the product away or return to point of purchase for a refund.

"Our company's paramount concern is for the safety and health of consumers who have purchased our products, and we have been working closely with the USDA and the California Department of Health Services to ensure that this additional recall is completed successfully," said Todd Waldman, senior vice president for United Food Group. "Given our long history of focusing on product safety and our standards of excellence, we will err on the side of being cautious with this recall."