The ground beef in your fridge may be tainted with E. coli: USDA issues warning

U.S. agriculture officials have issued a public health alert over concerns that ground beef sold at Whole Foods Market may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a potentially dangerous strain of bacteria.

The alert applies to 1-pound vacuum-sealed packages of Organic Rancher ground beef, produced by NPC Processing Inc. of Shelburne, Vermont, on May 22 and 23. The affected packages are labeled with use-by dates of June 19 and 20.

Although the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has not issued a formal recall—since the products are no longer available for sale—they warn that consumers may still have the beef in their refrigerators or freezers. Anyone in possession of the product is urged to throw it out or return it.

The beef was imported from Australia or Uruguay and processed in the U.S. It was distributed to Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, and Maryland, and later stocked in Whole Foods locations across the country.

The contamination was discovered when the company informed FSIS that the beef had tested positive for E. coli. So far, no illnesses have been reported, but officials are urging caution.

Live Events

E. coli O157:H7 can cause serious illness, particularly in young children and the elderly. Symptoms typically include diarrhea, stomach cramps, and dehydration, and in severe cases, the infection can lead to kidney failure.This incident follows several other food safety concerns this year. In 2023, FSIS oversaw the recall of over 58,000 pounds of raw ground beef due to possible E. coli contamination. More recently, the agency issued a separate alert for pork carnitas sold at Aldi, warning that the product may contain metal particles.Consumers are advised to always handle and cook ground beef thoroughly and report any suspected foodborne illness to local health authorities.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}