Ground Beef Recall: Swift Beef Warns That Meat Could Be Contaminated With E. coli In Another Important Reminder Of JBS Beef

The weekend recall of nearly 100,000 pounds of ground beef potentially contaminated with E. coli is the second major meat recall in as many months by JBS USA, a unit of the world's largest meat processor.

Swift Beef Co. has recalled 99,260 pounds of ground beef, many of which would be contaminated with E. coli, a potentially life-threatening bacteria, the US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.

Swift Beef shipped the recalled meat to retailers for further processing and institutional food service providers in five states, including California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington, the agency said.

The problem was discovered the day before FSIS discovered the presence of E. Packed in the beef of a Swift Beef customer. This led to a recall of about 530 pounds of ground beef, patties and meatballs shipped to restaurants all over Utah.

Swift Beef is part of JBS USA, which starts in October recalled 6.9 million pounds of salmonella-bound beef from 25 states an epidemic that has now affected 246 people, 59 of whom have been hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control reported last week.

JBS confirmed the reminder in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. A spokesman said in a statement that "although only one sample in the trade has been tested positive and that no consumer has reported any disease, we have taken this cautious approach in the past." Interest of consumer safety ".

JBS is working with the USDA to ensure that "potentially affected products are removed from shops and homes," said the spokesman, who declined to say whether there was a link between reminders and if the company had made any changes.

JBS is a subsidiary of the Brazilian company JBS SA, the largest processor of fresh beef and pork in the world.

In September, Cargill recalled more than 132,000 pounds of beef coli that killed one person and made 17 others sick.