At least three people in Wisconsin have contracted E. coli infections thought to have been caused by eating “tiger meat,” a raw ground beef dish. The beef linked to the outbreak was purchased at Glenn’s Market and Catering of Watertown, WI, which recalled 2,532 pounds of raw ground beef products Tuesday for potential E. coli contamination. Tiger meat is a mixture of raw ground beef, raw eggs, onions and seasonings. Both ground beef and eggs pose a health hazard when eaten undercooked or raw. It is thought that the victims of this outbreak prepared the raw ground beef purchased at Glenn’s in this style. “Glenn’s would also like to make the public aware that consuming the common holiday tradition called Tiger Meat of Raw Uncooked Beef can cause illness,” said the firm in a press release on its website. “But the USDA has a zero tolerance level of E.coli 0157:H7,” notes the firm.
Products subject to the recall include Glenn’s Market ground round, ground chuck and ground beef sold in packages of varying sizes between Dec. 22, 2012 and Jan. 4, 2013.Patients sickened by the raw ground beef fell ill between Dec. 29, 2012 to Jan. 1, 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Two reported consuming beef from Glenn’s that was ground and purchased on Dec. 24, 2012, reports FSIS. The third consumed product ground and purchased on Dec. 30, 2012. The company notes that safe handling instructions are included on packaging.
