State and federal officials Friday warned consumers to be on the lookout for ground beef that might be tainted with E. coli, a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.
Eight confirmed cases of illness have been reported in Oregon and Washington and one suspected case is being investigated in Alaska, according to a public health alert from the state Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health and Social Services.
The health advisory, prompted by an alert from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, covers these products:
• 16-ounce packages of "Northwest Finest 7% fat Natural Ground Beef."
• 16-ounce packages of "Northwest Finest 10% fat Organic Ground Beef."
At least one grocery chain, Fred Meyer, confirmed its Alaska stores carried one of the items, the organic ground beef.
The public health alert said packages of the suspect meat had a sell-by date of between Aug. 1 and Aug. 11, so the contaminated products should no longer be in stores.
"But people need to check their freezers, and if they have it they should bring it back to us for a refund," said Melinda Merrill, a spokeswoman for Fred Meyer in Portland, Ore.
Top managers for Carrs Safeway, the dominant supermarket chain in Anchorage, could not be reached Friday. But supervisors at two stores said they didn't believe Carrs carried the ground beef items in question and said no shopper advisories had been posted.
41,305 POUNDS OF BEEF
The USDA said 41,305 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef products came from Interstate Meat Dist. Inc. of Clackamas, Ore.
For additional information about E. coli, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/ecoli.
The very young, seniors and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to food-borne illness, the USDA said.
State officials asked health care providers and laboratories to report all suspected or confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 to the Alaska Epidemiology Section at 269-8000 in Anchorage or 800-478-0084 after hours.
Find Wesley Loy online at adn.com/contact/wloy or call 257-4590.
LEARN MORE: For additional information about E. coli, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site
http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli
