ShopRite burgers and ground beef brands recalled over potential E. coli contamination
A public health alert was issued by federal officials this week, warning the public over ShopRite brand frozen hamburger meat that could be potentially contaminated with the E. coli virus.
The ground meat in question was shipped from the Ryding-Regency Meat Packers facility in Ontario, Canada back in May, and was shipped to 10 states including New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service issued an alert on Wednesday cautioning consumers who may be unaware that their freezers may contain contaminated meat.
The recalled ShopRite products include the 8-pound boxes containing raw frozen ground beef patties labeled “ShopRite 100% Pure Quarter Pound Ground Beef Hamburgers” with a sell by date of June, 7, 2020, as well as the 3-pound boxes containing raw frozen ground beef patties labeled “ShopRite 100% Pure Ground Beef Hamburgers” with a sell by date of June 7, 2020.
Thus far, there have been no reports of anyone contracting the E. coli virus in connection to this batch of ground beef.
“The U.S. companies that produced these raw non-intact beef products have received notice of the recall from Ryding-Regency and FSIS has confirmed that they are following the instructions provided to recall affected product from their customers,” the FSIS said in the alert issued Wednesday. “However, retail consumers may not have received such notification.”
The ShopRite recall webpage had been updated to include the ground beef recall as of Saturday.
There are over 296 ShopRite locations throughout the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Other possibly contaminated items that are being recalled are listed below:
- 2-pound boxes of raw frozen ground beef patties labeled “Landis Brand 100% All Beef Patties, 8 Quarter Pound Patties" with a sell by date of June 7, 2020.
- 10-pound boxes of frozen ground beef gyros labeled “Devanco Foods Chicago Favorite" gyro slices with a case code of 159 19.
- 10-pound boxes of raw frozen ground beef gyros labeled “Kronos Halal Gyros Strips," with a case code 19 159.
- 8-patty boxes of “Ziyad Premium Quality Beef Hamburger Patties” with a case code 911541.021541.
- 8-kabob boxes of “Ziyad Premium Quality Uncooked Kufta Kabob” with a case code 911154.021154.
"E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness," according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service website.
"FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature," the health agency adds.
Food recalls remain the biggest threat to the food industry's profitability, and such recalls are occurring with more regularity. A U.S. Public Interest Research Group report from January 2019 reveals that in the last six years, recalls of hazardous meat and poultry have gone up 83 percent.
One in six Americans get sick every year from eating food tainted with contagions ranging from E. coli to listeria and salmonella, with at least 3,000 deaths per year, according to the report.
Anyone who has these products at home are asked to return them to the nearest ShopRite location for a refund.