It is not even officially Summer and we have seen several E. coli outbreaks and nearly 40 illnesses. It is now close to 1,000,000 pounds of meat recalled. USDA, what is going on?

Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., a Sherman, Texas, establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 40,440 pounds of ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The products subject to recall include:

* 1.5-pound trays of “ANGUS STEAK BURGER ALL NATURAL, 85/15, 6- 1/4 POUND PATTIES.”
* 1.33-pound trays of “ANGUS STEAK BURGER ALL NATURAL, 85/15, EXTRA THICK, 4- 1/3 POUND PATTIES.”
* 2.25-pound trays of “73/27 ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF, CARNE MOLIDA DE RES.”
* 5.5-pound trays of “73/27 ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF, CARNE MOLIDA DE RES.”

Each label bears the establishment number “Est. 244S” inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a “Use or Freeze By” date of “JUN 13 07.”

The problem was discovered through trim sampling done by the company. The ground beef products were produced on June 2, 2007 and were distributed to retail establishments in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.