At least 19 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli O157:H7 tied to a national recall of more than 167,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef, federal health officials said.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was notified of illnesses on Nov. 13, and working in conjunction with Minnesota Departments of Agriculture and Health, the FSIS determined that there was a link between the ground beef products from Wolverine Packing Co. and this illness cluster.
On Nov. 20, a ground beef sample collected by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as part of an outbreak investigation tested positive for E. coli O157. To date, 19 patients have been identified in one state with illness onset dates ranging from Nov. 2 to Nov. 14. The FSIS continues to work with the Minnesota Departments of Agriculture and Health on this investigation.
The infections occurred in people who had eaten hamburgers at Red Cow restaurants in the Minneapolis and Rochester areas, as well as the Hen House Eatery in Minneapolis.
To date, no illnesses have been reported outside of Minnesota, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The investigation is ongoing.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News,click here)
