Salmonella Concerns Prompt Recall of 12 Million Pounds of Beef

More than 12 million pounds of beef have been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.

On Tuesday, the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Arizona-based company JBS Tolleson, Inc. has recalled approximately 12,093,271 pounds of non-intact raw beef products after nearly 250 people fell ill due to a salmonella outbreak. The recall follows the initial October recall of more than 6.5 million pounds of JBS Tolleson, Inc. beef.

The brands included in the recall are Cedar River Farms Natural Beef, Comnor Perfect Choice, Gourmet Burger, Grass Run Farms Natural Beef, JBS Generic, Showcase, and Showcase/Walmart, and were packaged between July 26 and Sept. 7 by JBS Tolleson. They bear the establishment number "EST. 267" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

FSIS is "concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers' freezers" and is advising consumers that "these products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase."

You can see a full list the affected products here.

Federal officials claim that 246 people in 26 states have fallen ill in connection to the outbreak and nearly 60 people have been hospitalized. According to a case map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that details the outbreak, 66 cases have been reported in California, 50 in Colorado, 3 in Texas, and 42 in Arizona.

At the time of the original recall, 60 people in 16 states had been reported ill.

The USDA is reminding consumers to ook all ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

"The only way to confirm that ground beef or other cuts of beef are cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature."

Consumption of contaminated products can cause salmonellosis, a common foodbourne illness. Symptoms of salmonellosis — diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever — typically occur within 12 to 72 hours. Although the illness typically lasts four to seven days and doesn't require treatment, in rare cases, the infection can spread from the intestines to the blood stream, requiring the individual to be hospitalized.

The beef recall is just the latest in a string of nationwide recalls of food products linked to salmonella outbreaks. Just days before Thanksgiving, the USDA recalled more than 91,000 pounds of Jennie-O turkey products after at least one person died and more than 160 people had fallen ill due to a salmonella outbreak.