Central Valley Meat Co. has recalled ground beef products due to possible Salmonella Dublin contaminations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a release.
Approximately 34,222 pounds of ground beef products may be contaminated with the bacteria, the release stated on Friday. The affected products were produced on July 23 and were shipped to retail locations in California.
The affected products have establishment number “EST. 6063A” printed on the retail labels next to the lot number and inside the USDA mark of inspection on the case labels.
Th recall includes the following products:
- 1-lb. chub packages of “STATER BROS. 100% PURE GROUND BEEF 96% LEAN 4% FAT” with lot 2049 on the retail label; lot 19204 on the case label; and Use By 08-14-19.
- 2-lb. chub packages of “STATER BROS. 100% PURE GROUND BEEF 93% LEAN 7% FAT” with lot 2049 on the retail label; lot 19204 on the case label; and Use By 08-14-19.
- 20-lb. cases containing “STATER BROS 93/7 Ground Beef 10# Chub 10 Lb. Chubs/ 2 Count” with lot 19204 on the case label and Use By 08-14-19.
The release states this is a Class I Recall, meaning the health risk is high. A Class I Recall is defined by the department as a health hazard with “a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
The department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was alerted to an investigation of Salmonella Dublin illnesses in early September and positively determined a connection between the illnesses and ground beef products from the Central Meat Valley Co., a California based company.
Salmonella
Salmonella is a bacteria which causes an infection called salmonellosis.
An estimated 1.2 million illnesses in the United States are caused by salmonella every year, including 23,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths.
The bulk of those are caused by food.
Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. People who get salmonella can also experience nausea, vomiting, or a headache.
“In some cases, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream, and then to other body sites. In these cases, Salmonella can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms usually start within six hours to four days after getting infected and usually last up to seven days.
People should visit a doctor if they have diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit; diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving; bloody stools; prolonged vomiting that prevents you from keeping liquids down; or signs of dehydration, such as: making very little urine, dry mouth and throat, or dizziness when standing up.
