SAN ANTONIO – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a health alert for raw ground beef that may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
The beef was produced on May 22 and May 23 and shipped to Whole Foods Market retailers nationwide under the label “Organic Rancher Organic Ground Beef, 85% lean, 15% fat.”
Recommended Videos
These were one-pound vacuum-packed items with a “best use by” date of either June 19, 2025, or June 20, 2025, as stated on the packaging.
This is labelled as a public safety alert instead of a recall because the products are no longer available for purchase, the FSIS said.
As of this writing, no confirmed illnesses have been reported, but the FSIS is concerned that some users may have this product in their refrigerator.
The problem was noticed when the company notified the FSIS that some of their product had tested positive for E. coli.
E. coli O157:H7 is a strain of bacterium that can be potentially fatal. The FSIS said symptoms of E. coli include abdominal cramps, dehydration and bloody diarrhea, which often show up three to four days after exposure to the bacterium (two to eight days, at the maximum).
While the FSIS said most people recover after a week, some can develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. This can look like an unhealthy pale appearance, decreased urine output and easy bruising.
The condition usually affects older adults and children under five, but it can affect people of any age.
The FSIS advises consumers to safely prepare raw meat products, whether fresh or frozen, and only consume ground beef once it has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
This temperature can only be measured by an internal food thermometer.