Meatpacker recalls nearly 84 tons of ground beef after E. coli outbreak

A Michigan meatpacking company is recalling nearly 84 tons of ground beef from restaurants over potential E. coli contamination after 15 people got sickened at two Minneapolis-area eateries.
A Michigan meatpacking company has recalled nearly 84 tons of ground beef from restaurants after 15 people got sick by potential E. coli contamination.
Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled 167,277 pounds of ground beef, hamburger patties and other products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said Wednesday.
The recall includes fresh products with a “use by” date of 11/14/24, frozen products with the production dates of 1/22/24 and products labeled with the establishment number “EST.2574B” inside the USDA inspection mark, officials said.
Illnesses associated with the meat occurred between Nov. 2 and Nov. 10, prompting the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to investigate after everyone who fell ill reported consuming ground beef beforehand.
That included an initial 10 cases reported at Red Cow restaurants in Hennepin, Ramsey and Olmstead counties and another at Hen House Eatery in downtown Minneapolis, WCCO news reported. Four more people got sick later, though it wasn’t clear where they contracted the bacteria.
The FSIS was brought in to investigate on Nov. 13, after which the agency determined “there was a link between the ground beef products from Wolverine Packing Co. and this illness cluster.” A ground beef sample tested positive for a strain of E. coli.
FSIS and other health officials were continuing to investigate on Thursday.
While only two restaurants were named, the products were shipped to eateries nationwide, the FSIS said, encouraging personnel to check the labels and an extensive list of the products recalled.
“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in restaurant refrigerators or freezers,” the agency said. “Restaurants are urged not to serve these products. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”