US branch of JBS recalls 6.5 million pounds of beef on salmonella risk

CHICAGO / SAO PAULO (Reuters) – An American unit of Brazilian company JBS SA has recalled 6.5 million pounds of beef products processed at an Arizona plant, as the meat may be contaminated with salmonella, the government said on Thursday. US officials.

US investigators have identified at least 57 people in 16 states who have become ill because of the consumption of contaminated meat-based ground beef products brought back to JBS, the US Department of Agriculture said.

JBS shares fell 5% to about 8.80 reais on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange.

JBS Tolleson Inc., a subsidiary of JBS USA, the US arm of the world's largest meat packing company, was voluntarily sourcing ground beef and other raw beef products that had been shipped to stores across the country, announced the USA.

Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain and can be fatal for young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

Hundreds of beef products are part of the recall, including products sold under the Walmart brand. The products were packed from July 26th to September 7th.

"We are working closely with the USDA to ensure that all potentially impacted products are removed from stores and homes," JBS said in a statement.

This is the second time that JBS USA is recalling beef-based products this year.

In May, the company recalled nearly 35,000 pounds of raw ground beef processed at its plant in Lenoir, North Carolina, after a consumer found pieces of blue hard plastic in the meat that JBS had produced for the Kroger Co grocery chain, according to the USDA.

It is also the second major meat recall of recent weeks by a major American beef processor. In September, the meat division of Cargill Inc. recalled approximately 132,606 pounds of ground beef shipped to the United States due to possible contamination with Escherichia coli (E. coli) O26.

Federal and state investigators found that Cargill's ground beef products were likely responsible for the death of one person and 17 people who became ill with raw ground beef, according to the safety inspection service. food and food inspection of the USDA.

Parents of a Tennessee girl suing Cargill Meat Solutions, alleging that their daughter had been hospitalized and had developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) after consuming contaminated ground beef purchased from a Publix supermarket, according to a lawsuit brought this week to the US District Court of Minnesota.

HUS, which can lead to kidney failure, can be fatal.

"Cargill and our employees are worried about knowing that someone may have fallen ill from the ground beef that we produced," the company said in an e-mail release. "Although we can not discuss the details of the lawsuit, we understand that the person continues to recover and that his health is everyone's number one priority now."