A Kansas slaughterhouse is recalling  60,242 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with deadly E. coli 0157:H7,  the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service  says.

The beef was produced by National Beef Packing Co., LLC located in Dodge City. The problem was discovered by the Ohio Department of Agriculture when it conducted routine microbial testing at a facility that purchased the beef for further processing. A statement from the USDA says that an investigation revealed that the products from the Kansas facility were the “sole source for the positive product sample” and that no reports of illness have been received by the company or Food Safety Inspection Service in connection with eating the products.

E. Coli 0157:H7, also called E. coli or E. coli 0157, are the most commonly identified bacteria in North America, according to information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, which notes  that news reports about outbreaks of  “E. coli” infections  usually involve E. coli 0157.  The bacteria cause disease by making Shiga toxin, which can produce severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, vomiting and low fever. The CDC information reveals that while most people get better within five to seven days, some infections can be life threatening, particularly for young children and elderly people.

The recalled products include boxes containing ground beef “chubs,” which are cylindrical plastic-covered rolls containing ground beef. The items include boxes of three-, five- and 10-pound chubs, produced on July 23, with a "Freeze By" date of August 12, 2011, and boxes of 10-pound ground beef chubs produced on July 25, 2011, with a "Freeze By" date of August 14, 2011.

The Food Safety Inspection Service warning says the products were shipped to distributors across the U.S. for further processing or distribution, and the products “may have been repackaged into consumer-size packages and sold under different retail brand names. The retail stores that received the ground beef include Kroger stores in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee; Publix stores in  Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee;  Sam's Club stores in Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah,  Virginia and Wyoming; Wal-Mart stores in Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wyoming; and Winn-Dixie stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Read More: CNN

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