Another U.S. food scare for ground beef and E.coli

Consumers in the United States have been issued yet another warning about contaminated food.

This time the alert concerns ground beef thought to be contaminated with E.coli O157:H7.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has warned that the contaminated beef has already sickened nine people, a child and five adults from King, Island and Clallam counties in Washington.

According to authorities the cases were reported in late July and the first week of August; two people were hospitalized but have since recovered.

Another two cases of E coli illness were also reported in Oregon and the contaminated beef is the suspected culprit.

It seems as much as 41,305 pounds of ground beef is believed to have been contaminated which the Food Safety Inspection Service say were sold under the brand name "Northwest Finest" and produced by Interstate Meats, based in Clackamas, Oregon.

These include:-

• 16-ounce packages of "Northwest Finest 7% FAT, NATURAL GROUND BEEF," having a label that says UPC code of 752907 600127.

• 16-ounce packages of "Northwest Finest 10% FAT, Organic GROUND BEEF," having a label that says UPC code is available.

The products have sell-by dates of August 1 and August 11 and bear the U.S. Department of Agriculture mark of inspection "Est 965."

The ground beef was bought from the same source at grocery stores in Oregon and Washington and it is thought two families affected are considering legal action.

As the sell by date has passed retailers are no longer selling the product and the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) advises consumers to check their freezers to see if they have any of the affected beef.

The FSIS says the meat should be discarded.

The contaminated ground beef was distributed in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington states.

Most people who are infected with E. coli O157:H7 may not develop any serious symptoms; the infection can cause severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps within two to eight days but the illness usually resolves itself in 5 to 10 days.

Children under 5 years of age, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems however are at risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States, about 100,000 E coli cases are reported each year.

The CDC advises consumers to cook all ground beef and hamburger meat thoroughly and avoid eating hamburger meat which is still pink in the middle.

Experts say spreading harmful bacteria in the kitchen can be avoided by keeping raw meat separate from ready-to-eat foods, and wash hands, counters, and utensils with hot soapy water after they touch raw meat.