Ground beef recall linked to deadly E. coli grows, including stores in Portland area

The nationwide recall of potentially deadly E. coli ground beef has expanded to include meat sold at Safeway, Albertson & Target stores in Oregon.

Cargill Inc. on Wednesday recalled more than 132,600 pounds of contaminated ground beef that food safety investigators believe caused 17 illnesses and one death.

The beef was sourced from a Cargill slaughterhouse in Fort Morgan, Colorado, which was also linked to the recall of 25,000 pounds of ground beef last month.

In mid-August, the Food Safety Division of the US Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began investigating an outbreak of E. coli. Coli, the cases being mainly in Florida.

The USDA and the CDC have finally established that E. coli contamination of beef shipped from the Cargill plant to Fort Morgan was "the likely source of the reported diseases". This determination led to the latest Cargill recall.

The beef products in question were produced and packaged on June 21 and carry the "EST" factory identification number. 86R ", which can be affixed to the inspection mark of the USDA outside the package.

USDA investigators fear that contaminated products are inside consumers' freezers. The products have been shipped to the national level.

Most types of E. Coli are harmless and live in the intestines of humans and animals. But many strains are pathogenic and pose serious risks to human health. The USDA has identified the beef recall produced in August at the Cargill plant in Fort Morgan as E. coli 0157. On Wednesday, the federal agency identified this second recall as E coli 026.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, both strains can cause a similar disease.

People usually get sick less than a week after consuming contaminated food. Most people develop diarrhea, often bloody and vomiting. Some infections are more serious in people with kidney failure.

According to the USDA, these stores might have sold the recalled beef products:

• Aldi (stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wisconsin)
• Sam's Club (at the national level)
• Target (nationwide)
• Meijer (nationwide)
• Safeway / Albertson & # 39; s (nationwide)
• Vons (stores in California)
• Pak N Save (California stores)

– Tribune Media Services contributed to this story.