JBS Increases Beef Recall to 12 Million lb.; 246 People Become Sick

An additional 5 million lb. of beef had been added to a recall by JBS bringing the total recall to more than 12 million lb.

In October a recall was put in place by JBS Tolleson, Inc., a division of JBS SA located in Tolleson, Ariz., for 6.5 million pounds of “various raw, non-intact beef products” after the discovery of Salmonella Newport contamination. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Dec. 4 that the recall was increased by 5,156,076 lb. of raw beef products, bringing the total to 12,093,271 lb.

The recall includes ground beef that was packaged on various dates from July 26, 2018 to Sept. 7, 2018 and bears the establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were shipped to retail locations across the country.

There have been 246 people in 26 states who have been confirmed to be sickened by the contaminated beef according to an epidemiological investigation from July 27 to Sept. 7. Sixteen more case-patients provided receipts or shopper card numbers for the product traceback investigations, with three case-patients tracing back to beef from the same plant on previously in the original recall.

FSIS has called it a Class 1 Recall with a “high” health risk.

Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days.

FSIS recommends that any consumers who purchased the product to not consume it and either throw it away or return to the store where it was purchased.

All raw beef should be cooked to a temperature of 160°F to reduce the risk of any food borne illness by bacteria according the FSIS. A meat thermometer will help in determining if the food has reached a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria.

For more on recent beef recalls read the following stories:

• JBS Recalls 6.5 Million Pounds of Beef For Salmonella
• Ground Beef Recall Includes Target, Safeway, Sam's Club and Aldi
• Cargill Recalls 130,000 lb. of Ground Beef for E. Coli Contamination
• Publix Recalls Ground Beef Following E. Coli Outbreak in Florida
• E. coli Finding Forces Cargill to Recall 25,000 lb. of Ground Beef
• Recall Placed on E. Coli Contaminated Ground Beef from Texas Processor
• Plastic Found in Ground Beef Forces JBS to Recall 35,000 lb. of Meat
• Lack of Inspection at Texas Meat Packer Forces Beef Recall