US beef recalled on E. coli concerns
Chosun Ilbo | 3 July 2008
U.S. Beef Recalled on E. Coli Concerns
Some 240 tons of beef products from an approved U.S. exporter to Korea suspected of being contaminated with the O-157 strain of E. coli have been recalled, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said Wednesday.
E. coli is bacteria that can cause hemorrhagic diarrhea, dehydration and kidney damage and is particularly dangerous for children and the elderly with weak immune systems.
According to a statement from the FSIS, the products in question were processed at a facility (EST. 19336) run by Nebraska Beef in Omaha, Nebraska. The facility is one of the 30 beef processors approved by the U.S. government to export to Korea under the new U.S. beef import rules that took effect Thursday. Ground beef, used to make burgers and meatballs, produced in May and June has been recalled.
An official at the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said no beef was imported from the products in question since the new rules took effect. If pathogenic microbes are detected in imported U.S. beef from the same producer more than two times, the company will be banned from exporting to Korea.
