Ground Beef Recall in Colorado Expanded to Include Sam’s Club Stores

DENVER— The recall of approximately 826,000 pounds of ground beef products that may be linked to an outbreak of illness from Salmonella Newport, distributed by Beef Packers, Inc., a Fresno,Calif., establishment, now includes ground beef sold at Sam’s Club stores in Colorado, according to officials at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.  Recalled meat sold at Colorado Sam’s Clubs would have the original Beef Packers user freeze-by dates of 7/6/09 and 7/8/09, and all meat was 90 percent lean.

Consumers with food safety questions also can contact "Ask Karen," the Food Safety and Inspection Service virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

The very young, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness; however, anyone can be infected with Salmonella.

Most people became ill during late June and early July, with the most recent illness occurring July 13. The ground beef products associated with the known cases were produced on various dates ranging from June 5, 2009, through June 23, 2009, and bear the establishment number "EST. 31913" printed on the case code labels. 

Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can result in abdominal cramping, diarrhea and fever. Most people infected with Salmonella develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment. However, anyone experiencing symptoms such as severe diarrhea should contact a physician. In some individuals, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses.