US meat wholesaler Meating Place is recalling nearly 325lb of ground beef as it might be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
The US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced the recall on 5lb boxes of the company's ground beef patties, which were manufactured on 15 April.
E. coli O157:H7 is a dangerous bacterium that comes with symptoms such as bloody diarrhea, dehydration and abdominal cramps for two to eight days after exposure.
Though most people recover within a week, some might be affected by hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure.
A person of any age can be afflicted with HUS, but it is more common among children under five years of age and older adults.
With establishment number 'Est. 8631' written inside the USDA mark of inspection, the item has been recalled.
The products have been distributed in retail and intuitional locations at Buffalo, New York.
The E. coli O157:H7 contamination was detected by FSIS while conducting a routine in-plant review of testing results.
So far, there has been no confirmed report of any adverse reaction caused due to the consumption of this product.
The company and the FSIS are worried that some of this product may still remain in consumers' freezers, and have warned them to either throw the product away or return it to the retailer.
FSIS suggests all consumers to consume ground beef only when it has been cooked at a temperature of 160° F in order to kill the deadly bacteria.
The consumer can use a food thermometer used to measure internal temperature in order to confirm that the product is being cooked properly.
