The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on August 2 reported that it has identified a number of grocery stores in the Southeast as likely recipients of ground beef that has been recalled due to possible E. coli contamination.
The beef was processed by Liberal, KS-based National Beef Packing Company and was sold in 10-pound chub packs under the National Beef, NatureSource, and NatureWell brands. Affected outlets, all of which are owned by Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., include:
- Bi-Lo stores in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee;
- Super Bi-Lo stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee; and
- Winn Dixie stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
In its recall status update, FSIS noted that the August 2 list is not necessarily comprehensive — it may not include all retail locations that have received the recalled product or may include retail locations that did not actually receive the recalled product. Thus, the agency urged consumers to use product-specific identification information, provided in its July 31 announcement of the recall, to determine whether a product they purchased is included in the recall.
The July 31 announcement explained that National Beef was recalling approximately 50,100 pounds of ground beef products that may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The release provided specific product codes and stated that all the recalled products "bear the establishment number 'EST. 208A' inside the USDA mark of inspection," adding that the products were produced on July 18, 2013, and were shipped in 40- to 60-pound cases to retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice distributors nationwide.
