About 120,000 pounds of ground beef recalled over E. coli fears

About 120,000 pounds of ground beef products sold to stores across the country were recalled Monday, federal food regulators announced, warning that contaminated meat could be in people’s freezers.

More than 40 ground beef products that were produced from Feb. 1 through April 8 and sold nationwide may contain bacteria that can cause diarrhea and vomiting, although no cases of illnesses have been reported, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service wrote in a statement. The products from New Jersey-based Lakeside Refrigerated Services bear "EST. 46841" inside the USDA mark of inspection, regulators say.

The recalled products, under a number of different brand names including Thomas Farms and Nature's Reserve, should be thrown away or returned, the USDA said.

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Inspectors discovered the problem during routine testing of imported products, regulators said, offering no more details about the issue. Lakeside Refrigerated Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While most strains of the E. coli bacteria are harmless, the toxic strain about which the agriculture department warns, STEC O103, can cause a two- to eight-day illness on average. Rarely, more severe infections can develop. Infection, which can cause bloody diarrhea and vomiting, is usually diagnosed by a stool sample test.

The same strain, a relatively infrequent source of outbreaks, was discovered in 2019 in ground beef and sickened at least 109 people in six states.

Other foods, including vegetables, fresh fruits and chicken, have carried E. coli that led to recent outbreaks. In 2018 and 2019, days before Thanksgiving, millions of Americans were warned against eating romaine lettuce after dozens became ill.