The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

Just in time for the July Fourth holiday weekend comes word of yet another beef recall due to E. coli. This time the tainted beef may have originated at JBS Swift in Greeley, Colorado. It is believed that as many as 23 people across nine states may have become ill after eating the meat.

The USDA has said that JBS Swift is voluntarily recalling more than 421,000 pounds of beef. A spokesperson from JBS has said it is important to note that the affected meat is whole muscle cuts and not ground beef.

This is an expanded recall from a first one on June 24 where 41,000 pounds were recalled; that was expanded last week to over 380,000 pounds. The company is also calling customers and sending out letters to notify them of the recall.

The problem with this recall is that it is unclear exactly where the tainted meat went after it left the plant. A rule put in place last summer states that the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service must publicize within ten days a list of stores where customers may have bought recalled poultry or meat.

In lieu of the upcoming weekend, which traditionally means thousands of cook-outs will happen across the country, it seems inconceivable to some food safety experts that this list has not been made yet. However, JBS Swift most definitely knows where the meat was sold, so getting the information should not be a problem. Still, a concern is that most of the meat has already been purchased and is in the homes of consumers.

How to Handle Raw Meat

The USDA is offering tips on how to handle meat to avoid becoming sick from E. coli:

• Rather than relying on the color of the meat to determine if it is ready, use a meat thermometer and only eat hamburger meat with an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
• Raw meat should be refrigerated within two hours of its purchase, or one hour on days where it is at least 90 degrees F. outside. Cooked meat should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking it.
• Wash hands in hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds both before and after you handle raw meat. Cutting boards, utensils, and dishes used to prepare the meat should all be cleaned thoroughly in the same way.
• Keep raw meat away from food that will not be cooked.

E. coli can lead to very serious illness or even death. If you suspect you or a loved one has been sickened by eating tainted meat, please contact the experienced defective consumer products attorneys at the Cochran Firm. We serve clients nationwide.

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