Your burger joint’s beef might be among 167,000 pounds recalled on E. coli concerns
Before you order a hamburger in a restaurant, you might want to ask where the restaurant got its beef.
On Wednesday night, Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co., recalled 167,277 pounds of ground beef, including numerous varieties of burgers, that went to restaurants around the United States.
This came four days after Saturday’s Grimmway Farms recall of organic carrots, whole and baby, from numerous powerhouse grocery sellers. Both involve potentially deadly forms of E. coli.
The recall comes too late for Wolverine’s fresh beef products, which had a use by date of Nov. 14. The frozen beef products were produced on Oct. 22 and can be kept in freezers for a while, but Wolverine is trying to get that beef back from customers and destroying it.
“Wolverine has notified all customers that received product encompassed by the recall,” a statement from Wolverine read. “We are also conducting and intensive internal audit to full review suppliers and processes in place, including rigorous quality control measures, to maintain the highest standards of production.
“As a third-generation, family-owned and operated company in business for nearly 90 years, we are committed to food and consumer safety. That is our highest priority.”
Unlike the carrot recall, which was linked to a multi-state E. coli outbreak with a death, Wolverine’s beef recall is linked to a cluster of 15 illnesses in Minnesota from Nov. 2 to Nov. 10.
“The problem was discovered when FSIS was notified by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture of a group of ill persons who had reported that they consumed ground beef prior to their illness,” the USDA said. On Wednesday, “a ground beef sample collected by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as part of an outbreak investigation tested positive for E. coli O157:H7.”
That’s a Shiga-toxin form of E. coli, which means it’s more likely than other forms to cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a kidney failure that can be deadly. Children under 5 and adults over 65 are most likely to experience HUS. Most E. coli illnesses last two to eight days, bringing bloody diarrhea, stomachaches and dehydration.
One of the barriers to E. coli is to cook beef until it’s at least 160 degrees inside as measured by a food thermometer, which is required in restaurants and a good addition to home kitchens.
Restaurants can identify recalled Wolverine Packing beef by the logo and “EST. 2574B” in the USDA inspection mark.
Questions about the recall can be directed to Wolverine representative Don Tanner at 248-762-1533.
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Your burger joint’s beef might be among 167,000 pounds recalled on E. coli concerns."
