Hannaford Issues Ground Beef Recall

Hannaford Supermarkets is voluntarily recalling ground beef in connection with a USDA and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) food safety investigation. The Scarborough, Maine-based grocer is advising shoppers to return or throw out any ground beef with a sell-by date of Dec. 17 or earlier.

The products may be contaminated with a Salmonella typhimurium strain (S. typhimurium). So far, 10 people are known to have become ill, all of whom said they had consumed ground beef purchased at Hannaford between Oct. 12 and Nov. 20. The Salmonella typhimurium strain is resistant to several commonly prescribed antibiotics.

Specific products being recalled are as follows: 73% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef, 75% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef, 80% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef, 85% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef, 90% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef, 80% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef, 85% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef, 90% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef, 85% Nature's Place Ground Beef and 90% Nature's Place Ground Beef.

The 85 percent lean variety of ground beef was the most commonly consumed by the people who became ill in the recent outbreak. In response, Hannaford is voluntarily recalling all ground beef sold during this period and will accept returns for a full refund for any ground beef with the indicated sell-by dates.

All ground beef affected by the recall has been removed from stores, according to Hannaford, a division of Salisbury, N.C.-based Delhaize America that operates 179 stores and employs more than 26,000 associates in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. The grocer added that it's cooperating fully with the USDA and CDC investigation.