CINCINNATI (AP) _ Consumers faced new food supply warnings Thursday as they prepared for holiday weekend outings, and the nation's largest traditional grocery chain continued its recall of some ground beef products.
The Kroger Co. was not able to say how much ground beef had been returned to stores since it expanded its E. coli warning to more than 20 states on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Nebraska Beef Ltd., one of the nation's largest meatpackers, expanded its recall of ground beef products, and federal investigators tried to pinpoint the source of a separate salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes.
Roger Sockman, a Washington-based spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service, answered some questions Thursday about ground beef safety.
Q: What is E. coli and how does it get into ground beef?
A: E. coli is a naturally occurring bacteria. If a powerful strain is present in the intestines of an animal, contamination of the meat may occur in the slaughtering process.
Q: How is it detected in meat products?
A: Inspectors check for a DNA fingerprint by PFGE, or pulsed field gel electrophoresis.
Q: What sort of illness results from consuming products contaminated with E. coli?
A: Symptoms can include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and fever. You should see a doctor, but most people recover within 5 to 7 days.
Q: Can't the bacteria be destroyed just by complete cooking?
A: Yes, if the meat is thoroughly cooked. The USDA reminded Fourth of July backyard grillers to follow these guidelines: Before preparing ground beef, wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds; cook ground beef to a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. "You can't tell by the color," Sockman said. "Buy a meat thermometer."
Jim Bell, manager of El Coyote restaurant in suburban Cincinnati, said 160 degrees in a restaurant means "well done."
Q: What sell by dates are included in the recall?
A: Kroger listed May 21 to July 5 for most ground beef products, but July 11 to July 21 for Private Selection Natural ground beef sold in 16 oz. packages in the self-service meat case at all Kroger stores, Dillons, Fred Meyer, Baker's, Smith's and Fry's. When in doubt, check with Kroger.
Q: What if the sell by date has been obliterated, or the ground beef was frozen in a container other than its original package, or you just don't know if the product was included in the recall?
A: Throw it out, Sockman said.
Kroger issued a recall June 25 for Michigan and parts of Ohio after reports of people being sickened by E. coli bacteria between May 31 and June 8.
When the source of the E. coli was traced to one of Kroger's suppliers, Omaha-based Nebraska Beef Ltd., that company recalled nearly 532,000 pounds of ground beef it had sent to wholesalers and other processing companies.
By the time Kroger expanded its recall on Wednesday, it had removed from stores all ground beef supplied by Nebraska Beef, Kroger spokeswoman Meghan Glynn said.
Kroger's focus had turned to warning people who bought ground beef marked with "sell by" dates of May 21 or later and stored it in home freezers. That wasn't easy because of the company's far-flung operation and because Kroger is just one store name within the chain.
Kroger Co. stores include those operating under the names Fred Meyer, QFC, Ralphs, Smith's, Baker's, King Soopers, City Markets, Hilander, Owen's, Pay Less and Scott's.
Some stores had slightly different sell by dates, and similar products were not a problem in all stores. The main concern was ground beef that had been packaged in foam trays and wrapped in cellophane or had been packaged at an in-store service counter.
Kroger told consumers to return for a refund any ground beef with a sell by date of May 21 or later, often up to July 5. But that could vary slightly depending on the store.
The recall does not include ground beef sold in 1-, 3- or 5-pound sealed tubes, or frozen ground beef patties from the frozen food section of its stores.
On Thursday, Nebraska Beef said it was expanding its recall to include all 5.3 million pounds of meat produced for ground beef between May 16 and June 26.
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