JBS Swift Beef Co. in Greeley today expanded a initial recall of about 41,000 pounds of beef last week to include about 380,000 pounds, because of a threat of E. coli contamination.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that all the beef products in the expanded recall were produced April 21 and are in boxes marked “EST. 969,” with a time stamp ranging from “0618” to “1130.”
The USDA has turned up 24 illnesses in multiple states so far, but information on the states was not available today from the company or the USDA.
The recall, which so far is voluntary, was issued “out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in its statement.
The recall announced Wednesday covered products shipped to Colorado, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.
The products were also shipped internationally, the company said.
The expanded recall was partly the result of “a thorough review of our internal records,” according to the statement.
The company said, “Each of our customers will be personally informed of this recall by phone. In addition, each customer will receive a more detailed letter which further describes our recall process.”
Consumers can contact their retailers to find out if meat they have purchased is part of the recall, or call Swift’s hotline at 800-685-6328, option 1.
“We continue to work closely with the USDA to ensure that product is removed from the marketplace and the recall is completed successfully,” Swift spokesman Chandler Keys said in a written statement.
The E. coli O157:H7 bacteria can cause severe anemia or kidney failure, which can lead to death. The bacteria is usually the result of food that comes into contact with animal feces or human stool.
