Aug 8, 2008 2:30 pm US/Eastern
Whole Foods Linked To E. Coli In Mass.
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The E.coli outbreak in Massachusetts has been traced to ground beef from Whole Foods Markets, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said Friday.
DPH also said another infected resident has been identified, bringing the total to 7. Officials said all ate ground beef products from Whole Foods in July.
As a result, DPH is advising consumers not to eat any fresh ground beef products purchased at Whole Foods Markets between June 2 and August 6. This includes ground beef and ground beef patties from the meat counter as well as from the prepackaged meat cooler. Any leftovers and any of the meat stored in freezers should be thrown out immediately.
Health officials say Whole Foods has cooperated with investigators.
DPH says preliminary findings suggest that ground beef products that were previously identified as part of a nationwide recall of Nebraska Beef Ltd. may have entered the retail supply at Whole Foods during June and July.
"At the time of the previous recall, Whole Foods Market received assurances from Coleman Natural Beef that no product delivered to Whole Foods Market was linked to the recall," the company said in a
statement.
"Those assurances are now in question and Whole Foods Market is actively investigating the issue."
Whole Foods has removed all ground beef products from Nebraska Beef from their stores as a precaution.
The seven victims in Massachusetts range in age from 3 to 60 years old. Five of them have been hospitalized. Four of the seven are from Middlesex County, two are from Suffolk and one is from Essex.
All were infected between July 10 and July 29.
DPH wants consumers to remember to eat ground beef only if it's fully cooked. Cooking meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit kills the bacteria.
E. coli can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure.
For more information on E. coli, click
here.
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