Staff Writer
AUGUSTA, Maine – Fifteen inspectors from the Maine Department of Agriculture canvassed grocery stores last week making sure meat products manufactured by Topps Meat Co. LLC in Elizabeth, N.J. were pulled from the shelves. Topps Meat Co. LLC, the leading U.S. processor of frozen hamburgers, has voluntarily expanded its recall announced Sept. 25 to include 21.7 million pounds – up from the initial 331,582 pounds – of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
According to Steve Giguere, supervisor for the consumer protection program of the Maine Department of Agriculture, the frozen meat product was distributed through Shaw’s Supermarkets, Hannaford Supermarkets and Wal-Mart Stores.
“All the major chains had it,” said Giguere. “The distribution was statewide. The bigger grocery stores have been all over this; sometimes the smaller stores are late to hear about these recalls, so we’re in the process of checking the smaller stores, too.”
The 21.7 million pounds of ground beef represents all products produced by Topps with a “sell by date” or “best if used by date” that falls between Sept. 25, 2007 and Sept. 25, 2008. This information may be found on the back panel of the package. All recalled products will have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748, which is also located on the back panel of the package and/or in the USDA legend.
Giguere said while the companies did the recall voluntarily, inspectors were busy most of last week.
“Because the federal and state Department of Agricultures have more people on the ground,” he said, “we go into the store to check and make sure the recall is being effective. If the company had refused to do the voluntary recall, the USDA – within their power – would have had the right to seize the product.
“We were quite comfortable by the end of the week that their recall procedures were working quite effectively,” said Giguere, “but then Topps expanded their recall, so we’re going to go back and check again. It happens quite a bit that a company will expand an initial recall because USDA will be in the firm doing record checks and see something they don’t like and more product ends up being pulled.”
The contamination was discovered through sampling done by the New York Department of Health as part of its coordinated investigation with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention into several reported illnesses. This is the first product recall in the company’s 65-year history.
“Because the health and safety of our consumers is our top priority, we are taking these expansive measures,” said Vice President of Operations Geoffrey Livermore. “Topps is continuing to work with the USDA, state departments of health, retailers and distributors to ensure the safety of our consumers. Additionally, we have augmented our internal quality control procedures with microbiologists and food safety experts. We sincerely regret any inconvenience and concerns this may cause our consumers.”
Products affected by this expanded recall were distributed to retail grocery stores and food service institutions throughout the United States. Based on consumption patterns, company officials believe that the vast majority of the recalled product has been consumed. It is imperative that consumers look for these products in their freezers immediately. If a product is marked with the above information, they should remove the sell-by date and UPC code and send it to: Attn: Recall Coordinator, Topps Meat Company LLC, P.O. Box 219, 1161 E. Broad Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07207 for a full refund. It is important to dispose of the remaining product immediately.
Giguere said since the meat in question is ground, it can make the problem that much more widespread.
“If this were a whole muscle cut, like steaks or roasts, you’d only have the outside surface area that could be contaminated and it doesn’t need to be cooked so thoroughly to destroy the organism,” he said. “You take that same roast that’s exposed on the outside and you grind it up into hamburger, you’ve taken the outside and now the contaminated part is mixed together. That’s why you see these outbreaks more associated with ground meat than you do steak or roast.”
The recalled products include Butcher’s Best 100% All Beef Patties, Kohler Foods burgers, Mike’s Seasoned Beef Patties, Pathmark 100 % All Beef Burgers, Rastelli’s Fine Foods 100% Premium Beef Hamburgers, Roma-Topps 100% Premium Hamburger, Sam’s Choice Backyard Gourmet Beef Burgers, Sand Castle Fine Meat 100% Premium Beef Hamburger, Shop Rite hamburgers, Topps 100% Premium Hamburgers, Topps Sirloin Steak Burgers, and Westside 100% Premium Hamburgers.
Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 exposure could include stomach cramps and diarrhea. Bloody diarrhea may develop. E. coli disease sometimes leads to a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Anyone who has exhibited any of these symptoms within three to five days of consuming any of the products should seek medical attention immediately.
In an abundance of caution, consumers who handle the recalled product are advised to thoroughly wash their hands and contact surfaces. For further information on food safety please contact the USDA Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education/index.asp.
E. coli contamination can be prevented by cooking the product correctly. Topps Meat Co. advises all consumers to cook its frozen hamburgers thoroughly until internal temperatures reach 160 degrees F (71.1 degrees C).
For a complete list of the recalled products, log onto www.toppsmeat.com.
