Enormous ground beef recall issued over deadly E. coli contamination risk across three states
Federal regulators said nearly 23,000 pounds of raw ground beef are being recalled over potential E. coli contamination.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Class1 recall Wednesday, warning that the product poses a high risk of causing "serious, adverse health consequences or death."
The affected packages were produced on Jan. 14 by Idaho-based CS Beef Packers and were shipped to distributors in California, Idaho and Oregon.
Officials said the products were intended for further distribution to foodservice locations, such as restaurants and cafeterias, rather than for direct retail sale at grocery stores.
As of Wednesday, there have been no confirmed reports of illness associated with the recalled product, USDA said.
The recalled items include 10-pound cylindrical packages, or chubs, of "Beef, Course Ground, 73L," 10-pound chubs of "Fire River Farms Classic Beef Fine Ground 73L" and 10-pound chubs of "Fire River Farms Classic Beef Fine Ground 81L, with case codes 18601, 19583 and 19563, respectively.
All products have a "Use/Freeze By" date of Feb. 4, 2026, with time stamps between 07:03 and 08:32, printed on two stickers on the outside of the cardboard cases.
All products have a "Use/Freeze By" date of Feb. 4, 2026, with time stamps between 07:03 and 08:32. The date and time stamps appear on the clear packaging of the meat products and on two stickers on the outside of the cardboard cases.
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The issue was identified during testing by the department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at a downstream customer, with results showing the presence of E. coli O145.
Foodservice locations should check their freezers and not serve any of the suspicious products, regulators said, adding that customers should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.
E. coli O145 infection typically causes diarrhea, often bloody, and vomiting two to eight days after exposure, with an average of three to four days.
Doctors usually diagnose the infection with a stool test. Treatment typically involves vigorous rehydration and other supportive care, and most people recover within a week.
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In rare but serious cases, older adults, children under 5 and people with weakened immune systems can develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). It is marked by easy bruising, paleness and decreased urine output.
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Officials also stressed that consumers should always cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 °F to kill harmful bacteria.