beef recall

A meat company issued a nationwide recall yesterday for 21.7 million pounds of ground beef products after reports of up to 25 cases of illness caused by suspected E. coli bacteria in eight states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, federal officials reported.

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Go to City Room ? The recall, by the Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, N.J., covers a wide range of frozen hamburger patties and other products manufactured over the last year and bearing a "sell by" date or "best used by" date between last Tuesday and Sept. 25, 2008, along with the United States Department of Agriculture designation EST 9748.

The voluntary recall, an expanded version of one issued last Tuesday for nearly 332,000 pounds of Topps beef, was the first in the 67-year history of Topps, one of the nation's largest meat processing concerns. It was also one of the larger meat recalls of recent years, the Agriculture Department's Food Safety Inspection Service said.

Amanda Eamich, a spokeswoman for the service, said the expanded recall was based on an additional sample of meat contaminated with the E. coli O157:H7 strain, as reported by the New York State Health Department; by findings of an inspection service safety assessment; and by new reports of illnesses under inquiry in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

In Florida, Scott P. Schlesinger, a lawyer for Samantha Safranek, 15, of Pembroke Pines, said she became ill after eating a Topps hamburger on Aug. 17, was hospitalized on Aug. 23, and underwent dialysis before recovering. He said federal and Florida health officials confirmed the E. coli link to Topps on Sept. 7, and he questioned why it took weeks to recall the products.

Claudia S. Hutton, a New York State Health Department spokeswoman, said that suspected cases of E. coli linked to Topps dated to July, but that none were confirmed until an Albany resident became ill this month and a Topps patty in his refrigerator was found by the Health Department to contain the E. coli strain.

E. coli O157:H7 is a food-borne bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. It usually clears up within a week in adults, but can be deadly in infants, older people and those with compromised immune systems.

Geoffrey Livermore, Topps's vice president of operations, said the recalled products were distributed to retail grocers and food service institutions throughout the United States over the past year. Based on consumption patterns, he said, the company believes most of the products have already been consumed, but he urged people to check their freezers and dispose of any meat covered by the recall.


The USDA is recalling a number of beef products because of possible E. COLI contamination.
Topps Meat Company is voluntarily expanding its recall to include a total of approximately
21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beef products that are marketed under the
following names: Kohler Foods, Mike's, Rastelli's Fine Foods, Roma-Topps,
Sam's Choice, Sand Castle Fine Meats, Shop Rite, and Westside. The frozen
ground beef products were produced on various dates between September 25th,
2006, and September 25th, 2007. Each package bears the establishment
number "Est. 9748" inside the USDA mark, as well as a sell-by date between
September '07 and September '08. So far twenty five cases of illness are
being investigated nationwide, including the State of Florida.
Questions can be directed to the Company's Because the health and safety of our consumers is our top priority, we are taking these expansive measures," said Vice President of Operations Geoffrey Livermore. "Topps is continuing to work with the USDA, state departments of health, retailers and distributors to ensure the safety of our consumers. Additionally, we have augmented our internal quality control procedures with microbiologists and food safety experts. We sincerely regret any inconvenience and concerns this may cause our consumers."

The problem was discovered through sampling done by the New York State Department of Health as part of their coordinated investigation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention into reported illnesses. This is the first product recall in the 65-year history of Topps.

Products affected by this expanded recall were distributed

to retail grocery stores and food service institutions throughout the United States. Based on consumption patterns, the Company believes that the vast majority of the recalled product has been consumed.
It is imperative that consumers look for these products in their freezers immediately. If you have a product marked with the above information, please remove the sell-by date and UPC code and send it to:

Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 exposure could include stomach cramps and diarrhea. Bloody diarrhea may develop. E. coli disease sometimes leads to a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). If you exhibited any of these symptoms within 3 to 5 days of consuming any of the products specified above, seek medical attention immediately.

In an abundance of caution, consumers who handle the recalled product are advised to thoroughly wash their hands and contact surfaces. For further information on food safety please contact the USDA web site at