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Seven million pounds of beef recalled under JBS expansion

By JORDAN STRICKLER

TOLLESON, Ariz. — JBS Tolleson, a division of Brazil’s JBS, is expanding an Oct. 4 beef recall by more than 5.1 million pounds. This brings the total amount to 12 million pounds the company has recalled because of salmonella concerns.

The recalled beef was produced and packaged between July 26 and Sept. 7, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The meat is linked to an outbreak of salmonella that, as of Nov. 15, has caused 246 people to become sick in 25 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

No deaths have been reported, but 56 people have been hospitalized.

“While no products in this expansion have been definitively linked to any illness, we have determined in consultation with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service that this action is in the best interests of public health,” JBS said in a statement last week.

Among the hundreds of products on the list are ground beef sold with the brand names Kroger, Cedar River Farms Natural Beef and Gourmet Burger. Sam's Club stores in more than two dozen states and Walmart stores in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas were also affected. The packages have an establishment number "EST. 267" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Kroger, headquartered regionally in Cincinnati, did not return calls from Farm World for comment by press time.

The JBS recalls come on the heels of a September recall by Cargill in which more than 132,000 pounds of ground beef produced in its Fort Morgan, Colo., facility were possibly contaminated with E. coli O26. This latest scare causes some questions about beef safety.

"The USDA's approach to controlling salmonella just isn't working," said Will Wallace, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports. "In light of this and other recent outbreaks, it's critical for the government to set far stronger rules and guidelines that would help keep people from getting sick."

This echoes a Dec. 4 letter to Secretary Sonny Perdue from U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) criticizing the FSIS for taking two months to expand the recall and charging the USDA with failing to take its responsibility seriously.

"That is unacceptable and has put people across the country at unnecessary risk to foodborne illnesses,” she said. “As a result, I have requested the salmonella testing records associated with the JBS Tolleson facility from the last 52 weeks. This request should help to shed light on the inadequacies of USDA’s testing standards that have led to the scale of this outbreak.

“Our government’s policies should create confidence in our nation’s food supply, not subject families to months-long recalls that make them doubt the safety of their food.”

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Other cuts of beef should be cooked to a temperature of 145 and allowed to rest for at least 3 minutes.

The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within 12-72 hours after eating a contaminated product. The illness usually lasts 4-7 days. Most people recover without treatment, but the CDC recommends seeing a doctor if you have a high fever, bloody diarrhea or severe vomiting, or if diarrhea lasts longer than three days.

A complete list of products recalled can be found online at https://bit.ly/2y0txS3

12/12/2018