On October 26, 2009, Crocetti's Oakdale Packing Co., doing business as, South Shore Meats, Inc. in Brockton, Massachusetts recalled about 1,039 pounds of fresh ground beef patties derived from bench trim as well as mechanically tenderized beef cuts based on confirmed laboratory evidence of the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in leftover ground beef samples obtained from Camp Bournedale, a nature camp in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Suspect patties were collected and tested by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) after more than 20 school children and adults from Lincoln Middle School in Rhode Island, who had visited Camp Bournedale the week of October 13th, became ill with gastrointestinal symptoms. Read more about the Lincoln Middle School E. coli outbreak linked to Camp Bournedale.

In a recent press release, E. coli Lawyer Fred Pritzker stated:

More resources must be devoted to federal food safety. The current system is undermined by too much fragmentation of responsibility and not enough coordination between federal, state and local agencies.

One also has to wonder if microbiological testing is lax. Ground beef and other meat products should not be allowed to leave the manufacturer unless their safety is confirmed. Eating a hamburger should not be a high-risk activity.

DPH is continuing to investigate the outbreak in cooperation with the Rhode Island Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is now laboratory evidence that the ground beef collected at the camp is the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 confirmed in two of the Lincoln Middle School students who attended Camp Bournedale.

DPH is continuing to work with United States Department of Agriculture to identify all affected beef products that will need to be recalled. To date, the following South Shore Meats Company products have been recalled:

• 10-pound boxes containing 40, 4-ounce packages of "Beef Sirloin Patties."
• 7.5-pound boxes containing 12, 10-ounce packages of "Beef Teres Major Steaks Seasoned."
• Boxes of 24, 5-ounce packages of "BEEF BUTT STEAKS, (Filet Style)."
• 9-pound boxes containing 12, 12-ounce packages of "BEEF BUTT STEAK, Center Cut, (sirloin style)."
• 9-pound boxes containing 12, 12-ounce packages of "BEEF BUTT STEAK, Center Cut, (filet style)."
• 6.75-pound boxes containing 12, 9-ounce packages of "BEEF BUTT STEAK, Center Cut, (sirloin style)."
• Boxes of 16, 10-ounce packages of "Beef Top Butt Steaks Sirloin Style."
• Boxes of 20, 8-ounce packages of "Beef Butt Steaks Club Style."
• Boxes of 26, 6-ounce packages of "Beef Top Butt Steaks Sirloin Style."
• Boxes of 12, 10-ounce packages of "BEEF BUTT STEAKS, (Filet Style)."
• 6-pound boxes containing 16, 6-ounce packages of "Beef Filet Of Sirloin, Executive Cut."
• Boxes of 12, 8-ounce packages of "BEEF BUTT STEAKS, (Filet Style)."

Each box of recalled beef bears the establishment number "EST. 6336" inside the USDA mark of inspection and may also bear a date code of "281." The beef products were produced on October 8, 2009, and were distributed to wholesale distributors and institutions in Massachusetts.

If your child has been diagnosed with E. coli O157, contact Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. Our law firm is representing people sickened by E. coli O157, including people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). E. coli HUS is the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States.

Labels: beef recall, E coli kidney failure, E coli lawyer