Tainted beef linked to two deaths in U.S.

One of the victims was a New Yorker, suffering from underlying health conditions while the second from New Hampshire died due to complications from the infection.

With the exception of three, all the cases of infection were in the north-eastern United States, and in New England.

Donna Rosenbaum, executive director of Safe Tables Our Priority, a food safety organization declared, “To this day, contamination problems are not found by any checks on the products by companies. They’re found when people get sick, and that’s a failure in the system.”

Tainted beef recalled
On Saturday the producers of the suspect beef, Fairbank Farms in Ashville, N.Y. recalled 546,000 pounds of contaminated meat that had been shipped to a variety of stores from Maine to North Carolina in the latter half of September.

All the recalled beef is past its date of expiry by 23-32 days and is no longer being sold as "fresh" in supermarkets.

It was marketed in a variety of forms like hamburger patties to meatloaf and meatball mix. The product was being sold under brands such as Trader Joe’s, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Shaw’s Supermarket, Green Giant and several others.

Cause for concern
There is strong possibility that some of the ground beef has already been consumed without any adverse effects since proper cooking can kill E. coli bacteria. However, the major concern at this junction is that contaminated meat may be lying in the freezers at home.

Ron Allen, CEO of Fairbank Farms in a written statement said, "We are urging consumers to check their freezers for ground beef products that are listed in the recall. Consumers who identify these products should return them to the point of purchase for a full refund."

The potential health hazards of E. coli
The symptoms of the deadly E. coli illness include fever, cramps bloody diarrhea and dehydration.

Although most of the people are on their feet within 10 days, some patients develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, which destroys the red blood cells leading to kidney failure.

The very young, the elderly and those with a weak immunity are most vulnerable to the food- borne illness.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York feels an urgent need for federally mandated E. coli inspections of all ground beef.

"This is a stark reminder that food is still going straight to our kitchens and grocery stores without being properly tested to ensure its safety," Gillibrand said.

He added, "It's spreading too many diseases and costing too many lives. ... It's time to address the gaps in the inspection process."