Nov 2, 2009 11:57 pm US/Eastern
CDC: Contaminated Beef May Be Linked To 2 Deaths
Major Concern Right Now Is Unsuspecting Customers Buying The Meat Back In September And Freezing It
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBS) ―
From hamburger patties to meat loaf it's meat that could make you sick, or even kill you. The recall affects half a million pounds of beef sold at local stores like Trader Joe's and BJs wholesale.
Two people have died. Dozens more are sick. A deadly E. coli strain is to blame.
For shoppers, it's a scare that has them worried for their families.
"I actually have it, but didn't even know it was recalled," said Elba Delgato of Hoboken.
The contaminated ground beef has killed two people in New York and New Hampshire and sickened 28 in the Northeast.
The meat, sold during the latter part of September, was distributed by Fairbank Farms of Ashville, N.Y.
It was sold as fresh ground beef by Trader Joe's, BJ's, PriceChopper, Lancaster, Wild Harvest, Shaw's, Ford Brothers and Giant stores with the product code: EST 492.
None of it is still in stores, so the shopper that bought it Monday is safe.
But the health alert leaves many with questions.
"It's horrible. It's like what do you trust, who do you trust today," said John Apostolakos of Hoboken.
The concern now is that customers may have made the purchase in September, taken the beef home and frozen it. So, of course, the worry now is that there may be contaminated beef in their freezers at home.
Dr. Tracy Zivin-Tutela of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital told CBS 2 HD that meat, if eaten, could result in death.
While the recall has some avoiding ground beef, others are comfortable buying it now.
"I don't think they would have it on store shelves if it was no good, so I'm okay with it," said Jamellah Hatten of Jersey City.
The Centers for Disease Control advises customers to contact the store where they bought the beef if they are concerned. Fairbank Farms has had two other voluntary recalls over the last two years, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York wants federally mandated E. coli inspections of all ground beef.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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