Millions of pounds of beef were recalled Thursday because the beef might be contaminated with Salmonella, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The beef came from JBS Tolleson, Inc. based in Tolleson, Arizona, and the beef that is part of the recall was packaged between July 26 and September 7. The beef was raw and non-intact and all the products have the establishment number "EST. 267" in the USDA inspection mark. All of the products that are potentially impacted were shipped to retailers or institutions like restaurants around the United States. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service was alerted to an investigation into the Salmonella in early September. It wasn't until September 19 that a receipt linked the illness in a patient to the beef products. Eight customer's purchases of the beef products have been verified either through customer receipts or through shopper cards, according to the release. The illness was traced back to the JBS brand ground beef specifically and an epidemiological investigation reportedly identified 57 case-patients from 16 states, all of which experienced their illness begin between August 5 and September 6. Consumers should keep in mind that they might have these products in their freezers and should check the establishment number and the package dates along with the product list available here. Anyone with the possibly contaminated beef should return it to the place of purchase or throw it away completely. The recall is a Class I recall, meaning there is "reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death." Salmonella Symptoms Those who become ill with the salmonella can experience a number of uncomfortable symptoms associated with salmonellosis. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps after they become infected, according to the Center for Disease Control. While Salmonella is a common infection it can be dangerous for some people. Most people will be sick for about four to seven days and then will recover without any medical treatment but some groups are more sensitive to the infection. The very young and the old can have a harder time recovering from the infection. Additionally, in severe cases of diarrhea, some people can become dehydrated and need medical treatment, according to the CDC. In the case that the infections spreads to the intestines or bloodstream, people require antibiotics to recover. ​<doc-sep>By P.J. Huffstutter CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Kentucky woman is suing the U.S. arm of Brazil's JBS SA, alleging she was hospitalized after consuming ground beef produced by the company that was tainted with Salmonella, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday in Arizona state court. The lawsuit comes one day after the U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that JBS Tolleson Inc was voluntarily pulling 6.5 million pounds of ground beef and other raw beef products that had been shipped to stores across the country. JBS Tolleson is part of JBS USA, the U.S. arm of the world's largest meatpacking company. The meat had been processed through JBS' Arizona plant, the USDA said. The agency later updated the volume of beef products being recalled, to 6.9 million pounds. JBS USA could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday. The complaint, filed in Superior Court of the state of Arizona in Maricopa County, said Dana Raab bought the JBS-produced ground beef from Sam's Club in September and made meat loaf with some of it before freezing the rest. Raab later fell ill, tested positive for Salmonella Newport, and was hospitalized for five days due to severe dehydration and a blocked bile duct, the complaint said. Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain, and can be fatal to young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems. U.S. investigators have identified at least 57 people in 16 states who have become ill due to consuming contaminated ground beef products made from meat traced back to JBS, USDA said. "I expect that number is going to go up, because one of our clients is from Nevada - and the health department there has told him he is one of more than 200 people they've identified as being part of this outbreak," said attorney William Marler, who is representing Raab. Officials from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately return calls for comment on Friday. The USDA had alerted JBS Tolleson Inc's president Andre Noqueira in 2017 that there were problems at the Arizona plant, according to a USDA document and the Raab lawsuit. Federal inspectors in 2017 accused Noqueira of enabling "egregious" and "inhumane" livestock practices, according to the lawsuit. "Officials found two 'mentally incoherent' cows laying on their side and 'moaning as if in pain'," the complaint said. "The inspector asked for the cows to be euthanized but one died in its pen before it could be put down." Federal inspectors deferred taking action against the company, according to the USDA document. (Reporting By P.J. Huffstutter; editing by Caroline Stauffer)<doc-sep>More than 6.5 million pounds of ground beef is being recalled nationwide on fears of Salmonella contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday. Arizona-based JBS Tolleson, Inc., issued the recall for various raw, non-intact beef products that may be contaminated. Those products include ground beef packaged on various dates from July 26, 2018, to Sept. 7, 2018. The products subject to recall bear establishment number "EST. 267" inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations and institutions nationwide. The recalled products may have been sold under the following brands: Walmart, Cedar River Farms Natural Beef, Showcase, Showcase/Walmart and JBS Generic. Products affected: Here are the product labels to look for in this ground beef recall. The recall comes after several cases of illness were reported, and investigators were able to use eight customer store receipts to connect the illnesses to ground beef products, all originating with the Arizona producer. Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most-common foodborne illnesses. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever, which appear within 12 to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food. The illness can last as much as a week, and most people get better without seeking medical treatment. But it can be serious for older people, infants and people with compromised immune systems. The government is worried that some of the contaminated beef may be in consumers' freezers. USDA recommends that customers either throw the beef away or return it to the place of purchase. To guard against illness from eating any ground beef products, the government recommends only eating ground meat that's been cooked to 160 degrees, while other cuts should be cooked to 145 degrees. Using a food thermometer is the only way to accurately gauge food temperatures. Thursday's recall is the second serious ground beef recall in the last month. In late September, a Colorado company recalled ground beef that had been contaminated with E. coli. That recall included meat that may have been sold in Oregon Target stores. -- Grant Butler 503-221-8566; @grantbutler<doc-sep>The ham recall was followed by a recall of 6.5 million pounds of beef due to salmonella. 89,000 Lbs. of Deli Ham Recalled After 1 Death and 3 Illnesses Reported from Possible Listeria Check the raw beef and deli meat in your refrigerators—they just might be subject to a recall. On Thursday, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced in a press release that JBS Tolleson, Inc. has recalled 6,500,966 pounds of raw beef over salmonella concerns. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Between Aug. 5 and Sept. 6, 57 people in 16 states reported getting sick. FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations determined that JBS Tolleson’s raw ground beef is likely to blame. The Arizona company, which published lists of recalled products, packaged the potentially contaminated meat from July 26 to Sept. 7 and sent it to stores across the country. “EST. 267,” the USDA mark of inspection, is printed on the recalled products. RELATED VIDEO: Beef Cow Left Bobbing in Hurricane Florence Floodwaters Pulled to Safety and Given a Dry Home Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within 12 to 72 hours, according to FSIS. While the illness can stretch four to seven days, most patients recover without needing medical treatment, but “individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider,” the release noted. FSIS said that people who have already purchased possibly bad meat should return or trash it. The news of the contaminated beef comes just one day after the USDA announced a recall of more than 89,000 pounds of deli ham. Johnston County Hams out of Smithfield, N.C. is recalling the meat because of a possible listeria contamination. The ham items affected were produced from April 3, 2017 to Oct. 2, 2018 and were distributed in Maryland, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina and Virginia. “Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms,” according to the USDA.<doc-sep>
CHICAGO/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A U.S. unit of Brazil’s JBS SA is recalling 6.5 million pounds of beef products processed through an Arizona plant because the meat might be contaminated with salmonella, U.S. government officials said on Thursday. FILE PHOTO: Under a very high magnification of 12000X, this colorized scanning electron micrograph shows a large grouping of Gram-negative Salmonella bacteria. REUTERS/Janice Haney Carr/CDC/Handout U.S. investigators have identified at least 57 people in 16 states who have become ill due to consuming contaminated ground beef products made from meat traced back to JBS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. JBS shares fell as much as 5 percent to around 8.80 reais on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange. JBS Tolleson Inc, part of JBS USA, the U.S. arm of the world’s largest meatpacking company, was voluntarily pulling ground beef and other raw beef products that had been shipped to stores across the country, the USDA said. Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain, and can be fatal to young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. Hundreds of beef products are part of the recall, including products sold under the Walmart brand. The products were packaged from July 26 to Sept. 7. “We are working in close partnership with USDA to make sure all potentially impacted product is removed from stores and homes,” JBS said in a statement. This is the second time JBS USA has recalled beef products this year. In May, the company recalled almost 35,500 pounds of raw ground beef processed through its Lenoir, North Carolina, plant after a consumer found bits of blue hard plastic in the meat, which JBS had produced for grocery chain Kroger Co, according to the USDA. It is also the second major meat recall in recent weeks by a top U.S. beef processor. In September, Cargill Inc’s meat division recalled about 132,606 pounds of ground beef shipped in the United States due to possible Escherichia coli (E. coli) O26 contamination. Federal and state investigators found that Cargill’s ground beef products were the probable source of the death of one person and 17 people who fell ill due to raw ground beef, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The parents of a young Tennessee girl are suing Cargill Meat Solutions, alleging their daughter was hospitalized and developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) after eating the contaminated ground beef purchased from a Publix supermarket, according to a lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. HUS, which can lead to kidney failure, can be fatal. “Cargill and our employees are distressed that someone may have become sick from ground beef we produced,” the company said in an email statement. “While we can’t discuss the specifics of the lawsuit, we understand the person continues to recover and her health is everyone’s top priority right now.”