The ground beef E. coli outbreak added 21 cases in two days this week, 177 people from 10 states have been sickened, 21 of them hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That update comes on the heels of two ground beef recalls and a lawsuit announced earlier this week.
Ground Beef E. coli O103 Recalls
K2D Foods dba Colorado Premium Foods
On April 23, K2D Foods, doing business as Colorado Premium Foods, of Carrollton, Ga., issued a recall for 113,424 pounds of raw ground beef products potentially contaminated with E.coli O103. These products were distributed to restaurants and health officials are concerned that some establishments may still have them in their freezers.
The recalled products were sold in cardboard boxes containing two 24-lb. vacuum-packed packages. The boxes, marked “GROUND BEEF PUCK,” have “Use Thru” dates of 4/14/19, 4/17/19, 4/20/19, 4/23/19, 4/28/19, and 4/30/19. The establishment number “EST. 51308” appears inside the USDA mark of inspection.
As part of the outbreak investigation, state and federal health officials have been collecting and testing samples of ground beef from restaurants where people sickened in this outbreak ate before they became ill. An unopened package collected from one of these restaurants tested positive for E. coli O103.
Grant Park Packing
On April 24, Grant Park Packing of Franklin Park, Ill. issued a recall for 53,200 pounds of raw ground beef products potentially contaminated with E. coli O103. The recalled products, produced on October 30-31, 2018 and November 1, 2018., were packed in 40-lb. bulk cardboard boxes marked “North Star Imports & Sales, LLC. 100% GROUND BEEF BULK 80% LEAN/ 20% FAT” and “FOR INSTITUTIONAL USE ONLY.” They have the lot code GP.1051.18 and pack dates of 10/30/2018, 10/31/2018, and 11/01/2018. The “EST. 21781” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
An unopened package of this product collected as part of the outbreak investigation tested positive for e for E. coli O103.
Ground Beef E. coli O103 Lawsuit
Ground Beef E. coli O103 LawsuitOn April 25, Pritzker Hageman E. coli lawyers filed the first lawsuit in association with this outbreak. Their client, Melissa Carmicle, a Kentucky woman who developed a serious E. coli infection after eating ground beef. She was hospitalized twice. During her first stay, her kidneys began to fail and she was moved to the intensive care unit. After she was released several days later, she began to experience seizures and was airlifted to the hospital where she endured another lengthy stay that included time in the intensive care unit.
Ground Beef E. coli Outbreak
Melissa Carmicle is one of 177 people in ten states who have been sickened by contaminated beef. Cases have been reported from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. Half of the people sickened in this outbreak are under the age of 18.
The case-patients, who range in age from less than than 1 year to 84 years old, reported onest-of- illness dates from March 1, 2019, to April 14, 2019. During interviews with health officials, they reported eating ground beef they purchased from restaurants and grocery stores before they became ill.
If you have been sickened in this outbreak and would like a free consultation with our E. coli lawyers, call 1 (888) 377-8900, send a text to 612-261-0856. Or, complete the form below. Our E. coli team has represented clients in every major outbreak in the last 25 years. Put our team of experienced lawyers to work for you.