At midnight Crocetti’s Oakdale Packing Co., doing business as, South Shore Meats, Inc., a Brockton, Massachusetts establishment, "voluntarily" recalled approximately 1,039 pounds of fresh ground beef patties derived from bench trim as well as mechanically tenderized beef cuts that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. Hamburger recalls since 2007 have now reached 41,412,504 pounds.
And, this is not counting another recall from 2008. Then, Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co., a Chino, California establishment, voluntarily recalled approximately 143,383,823 pounds of raw and frozen beef products that FSIS has determined to be unfit for human food because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection. Through evidence obtained by FSIS, the establishment did not consistently contact the FSIS public health veterinarian in situations in which cattle became non-ambulatory after passing ante-mortem inspection, which is not compliant with FSIS regulations.
This recall was initiated after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed a positive sample for E. coli O157:H7 in hamburger which it collected during an epidemiological investigation at the home of our client. She and family members are now ill.
FSIS is continuing to work with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the investigation. CDC had determined that the product sampled is associated with the illnesses being investigated related to illnesses in Massachusetts and in illnesses linked to Camp Bournedale in Plymouth, Massachusetts of 20 children from Rhode Island. Total number of illnesses are now near 30.