18 Ill and One Dead After Cargill Ground Beef E. coli Outbreak
On September 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) issued a notice that Fort Morgan, CO-based Cargill Meat Solutions is recalling over 132,000 pounds (66 tons) of ground beef products made from the chuck portion of the carcass that may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 bacteria.
The recall was prompted after FSIS received notification of multiple E. coli illnesses. FSIS, in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other public health officials determined that raw ground beef was the likely source of these reported illnesses. To date, CDC is reporting that an epidemiological investigation identified 18 illnesses in four states, six hospitalizations, and one death. Illness onset dates ranging from July 5 to July 25, 2018. Now, CDC says that the outbreak does appear to be over.