Stop & Shop Supermarkets has issued a recall for its Stop & Shop ground meatloaf mix over fears that the ground beef could be tainted with E. coli bacteria. The Stop & Shop ground meatloaf mix was produced by Cargill Meat Solutions, the same company that recalled more than 1 million pounds of ground beef products earlier this week amid E. coli fears.
According to the retailer, the recalled ground meatloaf mix was sold at stores in Stop & Shop stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Stop & Shop is urging customers to return any meatloaf mix purchased at Stop & Shop Supermarkets that is marked with the “use by/freeze by” dates of October 31 and November 2. Customers will be given a full refund for the recalled ground meatloaf mix. Cargill Meat Solutions was a supplier of meatloaf mix to Stop & Shop, so there is a chance the ground beef used in the mixture could be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), E. coli is responsible for sickening 73,000 people every year, and of those, 60 will die from the disease. The symptoms of E. coli poisoning usually occur within 3 to 9 days after a victim eats contaminated foods. E. coli causes a disease called hemorrhagic colitis, which is the sudden onset of stomach pain and severe cramps. This is followed by diarrhea that is watery and bloody. Sometimes there is vomiting, but there is no fever. The illness lasts about a week. While most people will recover completely, E. coli poisoning can be very dangerous for children, the elderly and anyone with a weak immune system. In some cases, E. coli will cause a disorder called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be life-threatening. This year, recalls of E. coli tainted foods have more than doubled since 2006.
On November 3, Cargill Meat Solutions recalled 1,084,384 pounds of frozen ground beef products because the meat might have been contaminated with E. coli. Most of the recalled Cargill ground beef was sold under the names Century Farms, Giant, Giant Eagle, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wegmans and Weis. The tainted Cargill meat was produced between October 8 and 11, 2007 and was marked with “Est. 9400” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
However, some of the E. coli contaminated ground beef, ground chuck, and ground sirloin products were distributed by Cargill to various retailers around the country for further processing. These products would have been repackaged, and will not list the establishment number on their labels. Apparently, the meat involved in the Stop & Shop ground meatloaf mix recall was distributed by Cargill in this manner.
So far, no illnesses have been traced to either the Cargill ground beef recall or the Stop & Shop ground meatloaf mix recall. However, consumers who may have eaten any of these products and develop E. coli-like symptoms should seek medical attention immediately.
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