Ground beef from Northeast grocery chain recalled in response to Salmonella outbreak

Food Product Recalls, Hot Topics, Salmonella

A grocery store chain based in Maine has issued a recall on “an undetermined amount” of ground beef products because it may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

According to a Dept. of Agriculture recall statement, Hannaford, of Scarborough, Maine, at least 14 people may have fallen ill after eating contaminated ground beef, ground at Hannaford stores in Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont. Ten of the 14 people have reported eating ground beef from the stores. The recall also includes ground beef sold at Hannaford stores in Massachusetts, though no current victims of the Salmonella outbreak have been reported from it.

The ground beef included in the recall was ground in-store but sold in varying size packages. The recall includes the following ground beef products in any size:

“73% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”
“75% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”
“80% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”
“85% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”
“90% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef”
“80% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef”
“85% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef”
“90% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef”
“85% Nature’s Place Ground Beef”
“90% Nature’s Place Ground Beef”

Details on the product description are limited as compared to other recalls of a similar nature. It is known that contaminated ground beef was likely purchased between Oct. 12 and Nov. 20 from Hannaford stores. The supplier of beef for grinding to the store chain is not disclosed in the initial release. Affected products have Sell By dates of Dec. 17 or earlier.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service discovered the contamination through a retail sample. There is no record of who supplies Hannaford with beef products, according to the recall statement.

Salmonella poisoning can be life-threatening. Early signs of Salmonella poisoning include nausea, abdominal pain, symptoms common with the flu, diarrhea and vomiting. Many cases of Salmonella poisoning require hospitalization for treatment, especially among children and the elderly.