Frozen hamburger recall due to risk of E. coli food poisoning

By Carl Saiontz
Posted October 1, 2007

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Following an initial hamburger recall announced last Tuesday for 332,000 pounds of frozen patties, Topps Meat Co. has announced that they are expanding their recall to include 21.7 million pounds of the ground beef burgers.  The frozen patties may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, which could lead to severe food poisoning.

>>INFORMATION: E. Coli Food Poisoning Lawsuits

The recalled ground beef was distributed to grocery stores and food service locations throughout the United States.  All of the hamburger patties have a “sell by date” between September 25, 2007 and September 25, 2008. A USDA establishment number of “EST 9748” is located on the back of each package or in the USDA legend.

According to federal regulators, at least 3 confirmed cases of E. Coli and 22 more suspected cases have been linked to frozen hamburger recall.  Symptoms of E. Coli food poisoning include stomach cramps, dehydration and bloody diarrhea.  While most healthy adults are able to recover in about a week, the young, elderly and those with weak immune systems could suffer more serious injuries, including kidney failure known as Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS).

The problems with the frozen hamburgers was discovered during sampling of frozen patties done by the New York State Department of Health as part of their investigation into several reported illnesses.  On Friday, officials from the USDA suspended the grinding of raw meat at the Topps manufacturing plant due to inadequate safety measures which were found during an inspection.

In many cases E. Coli contamination of ground beef is linked to production and packaging problems or  failures of the manufacturer to test and inspect their products.  Earlier this year in April 2007, another frozen hamburger recall was issued by Richwood Meat Co. after E. Coli was found in their patties.

HAMBURGER RECALL LAWSUITS

The food poisoning lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are reviewing potential hamburger recall lawsuits for individuals who have required medical treatment as a result of severe illness caused by E. Coli.  If you, a friend or family member suffered food poisoning after eating any of the recently recalled ground beef patties, request a free lawsuit evaluation.