hannaford-logo.jpgHannaford, a Scarborough, Maine-based grocery chain, is recalling an undetermined amount of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with a strain of Salmonella Typhimurium, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The products subject to recall are any size package of the following:

“73% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”

“75% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”

“80% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”

“85% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”

“90% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”

“80% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef”

“85% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef”

“90% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef”

“85% Nature’s Place Ground Beef”

“90% Nature’s Place Ground Beef”

This recall was initiated due to concerns about illnesses caused by an outbreak of salmonellosis that may be associated with use and consumption of fresh in-store ground beef prepared in and purchased at Hannaford stores. The PFGE pattern associated with this outbreak is reported rarely in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported 14 ill persons with an indistinguishable PFGE pattern, and 11 of those individuals reported consuming ground beef. Seven individuals were hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. Ten of the 14 case-patients reported purchasing ground beef at Hannaford stores in Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont between Oct. 12 and Nov. 20. No other product description is available at this time. As a result of on-going epidemiologic and traceback investigations, as well as in-store reviews, FSIS, working with the CDC and its state health partners, determined that there is a link between the Hannaford ground beef products and this illness outbreak. FSIS is continuing to work with CDC, public health partners in the affected states and the company on the investigation. FSIS will continue to provide information as it becomes available.

The various ground beef packages bear sell-by dates of Dec. 17, 2011 or earlier and were sold at Hannaford stores throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. FSIS and the company are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers.