E. Coli Outbreak Grows, As Does Recall of Topps Meat Company Frozen Beef

The Topps Meat Company E. coli outbreak keeps getting bigger. The E. coli outbreak associated with the Topps Meat Company frozen beef recall has now hit 21 people in 8 states. There are probably more people who’ve gotten sick from these frozen burgers, but they might not realize that their stomach bug is E. coli. Since the recall was announced Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control has collected reports of E. coli poisoning in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey and Ohio. The company has also expanded the recall to include frozen beef sold to food service organizations, like restaurants and school cafeterias.

In Florida, the parents of a 15-year-old girl are suing Wal-Mart for selling the Topps beef patties that made her sick. Her mother said that she bought the patties at Wal-Mart on August 15. Shortly after eating one, her daughter came down with diarrhea, cramping, fatigue and dehydration typical of E. coli poisoning. The girl had to be hospitalized and undergo dialysis. Her parents say she suffered permanent kidney damage and will need medical monitoring for the rest of her life.

The US Department of Agriculture has inspectors on the job trying to figure out where this E. coli originated. They know it came from Topps’ products, but they’re trying to find out if the contamination started at the company’s New Jersey factory or one of its suppliers. Hopefully, they’ll be able to pinpoint the original source soon.

The number of E. coli outbreaks and E. coli-related food recalls this year has been staggering. Everything on the dinner table seems to have affected by E. coli at some point – lettuce, spinach, beef – who knows what else. Why E. coli has become so prevalent is a question no one can answer. But it seems that with all the technology available, there should be some way of keeping E. coli bacteria from endangering consumers.