Ground beef patties recalled by Evergreen Meats

Evergreen Meats, Inc. is voluntarily recalling approximately 1,800 pounds of fresh and frozen ground beef and ground beef patties that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The ground beef products were produced on May 16 and distributed to wholesale establishments in Washington and from a retail store at the Evergreen Meats, Inc., establishment. All packages bear establishment number "EST. 6437" inside the USDA seal of inspection.

The products being recalled from wholesale are:

10 lb. cases of "EVERGREEN MEATS GROUND BEEF PATTIES." Boxes are marked with the date "MAY 16 2001."

10 lb. bags of "EVERGREEN MEATS, INC. GROUND BEEF." (Bags may be packaged in 10-50 lb. cases. Cases also bear establishment number "EST. 6437.")
The products distributed from the Evergreen Meats, Inc. retail store were sold in various sizes.

"Because of the potential hazard of foodborne illness from consumption of meat products contaminated with harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, I urge consumers who have purchased the suspect product not to eat it and return it to the place of purchase," said Thomas Billy, FSIS administrator. "Consumers may wish to ask restaurants or places where they consume ground beef if the product or meal contains the recalled product."

The problem was discovered through routine FSIS microbiological sampling.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, the elderly, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

Consumers and media with questions about the recall may contact John Chiasson, president, Evergreen Meats, Inc., at (360) 457- 8555.

Consumers with food safety questions can phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday, and recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

Source: Safety Alerts