A massive amount of ground beef sold at Walmart and Food City stores around the country is being recalled over food safety concerns.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recently announced the recall of over 21 tons of ground beef over concerns that it may be contaminated with the E. coli bacteria, WebMD first reported.
The products were identified to be sold at hundreds of Walmart and Food City stores in Alabama, Georgia, Vermont, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Florida, Virginia, Maine, Connecticut, New York, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico.
Walmart has issued a statement over the recall after being notified by Thomas Foods of the possible E. coli contamination on its ground beef products.
“As soon as we were notified by Thomas Foods of the recall, we immediately began the process of alerting our stores and distribution centers to remove the affected product from our store shelves and inventory, including a sales restriction,” Walmart said in a statement.
“Customers who have purchased the items identified in the recall should dispose of the product and return to their nearest Walmart for a full refund,” the company added.
On the other hand, Food City has yet to provide a statement. It also did not release information on its stores that sold the Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties.
E. coli or Escherichia
coli is a bacteria that is typically found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. While most of its strains are harmless, there are those that can actually lead to serious food poisoning, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Some strains can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and belly cramps. Some people who contract the bacteria suffer a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome that requires immediate care right away.
Below is the official list of the recalled ground beef products:
- 1-pound vacuum packages containing “Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef” with a use or freeze-by date of July 1, 2020 and lot code P-53298-82.
- 1-pound vacuum packages containing four ¼-pound pieces of “Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties” with a use or freeze-by date of June 27, 2020 and lot code P-53934-28.
- 3-pound vacuum packages containing three 1-pound pieces of “Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef 93% Lean / 7% Fat” with a use or freeze-by date of July 1, 2020 and lot code P53929-70.
- 1-pound tray packages containing four ¼-pound pieces of “Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 85% Lean / 15% Fat” with a use or freeze-by date of June 25, 2020 and lot code P53944-10.
- 4-pound tray packages containing 10 ¼-pound pieces of “Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 80% Lean / 20% Fat” with a use or freeze-by date of June 25, 2020 and lot code P53937-45.
- 1-pound vacuum packages containing four ¼-pound pieces of “Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 85% Lean / 15% Fat” with a use or freeze-by date of June 27, 2020 and lot code P53935-25.
- 1-pound vacuum packages containing “Value Pack Fresh Ground Beef 76% Lean / 24% Fat” with a use or freeze-by date of July 1, 2020 and lot code P53930-18.
