United Food Group Recalls 75K lbs. of Ground Beef Sold at Western Chains

VERNON, Calif. - A recall of 75,000 pounds of ground beef that could have been contaminated with the E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria affected a number of chains in Western states, said the supplier, United Food Group LLC, based here.

United Food Group disclosed the voluntary recall on Sunday, June 3, and said it was conducting the recall in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It said the beef was sold in chubs, or tubes, under the brand names Moran's All-Natural, Inter-American Products, and Stater Bros.; and was available at Albertson's, Grocery Outlet, Fry's, Save-A-Lot, Save-Mart, Smart and Final, Smith's, and Stater Bros. in 11 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Montana.

Minneapolis-based Supervalu, Inc. said yesterday that, as a precaution, its Albertsons stores were also recalling Albertsons brand sirloin fresh hamburger patties produced by United Food Group.

A message on United Foods' consumer hot line said that frozen and fresh hamburger patties were not part of its recall.

The fresh ground beef chubs subject to recall were produced at the processor's facility here on April 20. They have a sell-by date of May 6 and a freeze-by date of May 7, and package labels bear the establishment number "EST. 1241" inside the USDA mark of inspection, the company said.

The problem was discovered through sampling done by the California Department of Health Services and the Colorado Department of Health, in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the course of an investigation into illnesses, according to a USDA statement.

The stores that sold the beef have confirmed that none of the recalled product remains available for sale, United Food Group said. Consumers were invited to contact the company's 24-hour toll-free hotline at (800) 325-4164 for information.

"Our company's paramount concern is for the safety and health of consumers who have purchased our products, and we have been working closely with the USDA to ensure that the recall is completed successfully," said Todd Waldman, s.v.p. for United Food Group, in a statement. "Given our long history of focusing on product safety and our standards of excellence, we will err on the side of being cautious with this recall."
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