Ground beef sold at Walmart, other stores recalled for possible E. coli contamination

Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY
·3 min read

UPDATED: The USDA updated the recall notice and changed the pounds of the 10-pack of Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties.

Nearly 43,000 pounds of ground beef, including packages sold at Walmart stores, are being recalled because of possible E. coli contamination.

The Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late Saturday that Lakeside Refrigerated Services of Swedesboro, New Jersey, is recalling select packages of ground beef produced June 1.

The products, which were sold under brand names including Thomas Farms and Marketside Butcher, may be contaminated with the strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and have an establishment number “EST. 46841” inside the USDA mark of inspection, according to the recall notice.

These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide, the notice says. Marketside Butcher products are sold at Walmart.

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The USDA classified the announcement as a "Class I" recall, which it defines as a "health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death."

The recall notice says the problem was discovered during routine testing, and there have been no confirmed reports of "adverse reactions due to consumption of these products."

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E. coli can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps three to four days after exposure – and potentially kidney failure in children under 5 years old and in older adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Recalled ground beef products

The affected products include:

  • One-pound vacuum packages containing “Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef” and “a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P-53298-82.”

  • One-pound vacuum packages containing four quarter-pound pieces of “Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties” and “a use or freeze by date of June 27, 2020, and lot code P-53934-28.”

  • Three-pound vacuum packages containing three 1-pound pieces of “Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef 93% Lean / 7% Fat” and “a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P53929-70.”

  • One-pound tray packages containing four quarter-pound pieces of “Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 85% Lean / 15% FAT” and “a use or freeze by date of 06/25/20 and lot code P53944-10.”

  • 2.5-pound tray packages containing 10 quarter-pound pieces of “Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 80% Lean / 20% Fat” and “a use or freeze by date of 06/25/20 and lot code P53937-45.”

  • One-pound vacuum packages containing four quarter-pound pieces of “Thomas Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef Patties 85% Lean / 15% Fat” and “a use or freeze by date of 06/27/20 and lot code P53935-25.”

  • One-pound vacuum packages containing “Value Pack Fresh Ground Beef 76% Lean / 24% Fat” and “a use or freeze by date of 07/01/20 and lot code P53930-18.”

Consumers with questions should call Lakeside Processing Center Call Center at 856-832-3881, the notice says.

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Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ground beef recall 2020: Walmart brand Marketside Butcher in recall