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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, July 23, 2009 |
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Kroger Company Recalling Ground Beef Sold at Colorado King Soopers and City Markets Due to SalmonellaDENVER– Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials Thursday announced King Soopers, Inc., a Denver, Colo., establishment, is recalling nearly a half million pounds of ground beef products as it may be contaminated with Salmonella. The ground beef was sold statewide at King Soopers and City Market retail grocery stores. The particular strain identified in the ground beef is Salmonella typhimurium DT104, one that is resistant to many antibiotics prescribed for treatment, which can increase the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals. Although the product may be no longer available in stores, state health officials urge consumers who may have purchased the product between May 23 and June 23, 2009, at local King Soopers and City Market stores, to check their freezers for any product and discard it or return it to the place of purchase. Handling and cooking the meat is not recommended because of the potential to contaminate hands or the kitchen with the meat. The products being recalled were produced on various dates ranging from May 23, 2009, through June 13, 2009, and bear the establishment number EST. 6250 on packages. The recalled products are listed below:
The recall is a result of an ongoing investigation of a Salmonella typhimurium DT104 outbreak by the state health department. To date, 14 cases with the same DNA fingerprint have been identified among Colorado residents in the following counties: Boulder (3), Denver (1), Douglas (1), Jefferson (4), Larimer (1), Mesa (2) and Routt (2). Six people have been hospitalized; all are recovering. Individuals became ill between June 13 and June 28 and report purchasing their meat between June 1 and June 14 from a variety of King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado. All 14 individuals reported consuming 93 percent lean ground beef during the week before becoming ill. The department’s lab tested one partially cooked hamburger collected from an ill person’s refrigerator. That meat tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella, giving further evidence that ground beef is the source of this outbreak. The ground beef products also were distributed in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. SYMPTOMS Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can result in abdominal cramping, diarrhea and fever. Most people infected with Salmonella develop the symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment. However, anyone experiencing symptoms such as severe diarrhea should contact a physician. In some individuals, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses. The very young, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness; however, anyone can be infected with Salmonella. For more information about foodborne illnesses, the public may contact Alicia Cronquist, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 303-692-2629. Consumers with questions regarding the recall may contact Kroger’s Hotline at 1-800-632-6900. Salmonella information is available on CDC’s Web site, www.cdc.gov. ---30--- |
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