47,000 Pounds of Beef Recalled

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) â€” A meatpacking company has recalled about 47,000 pounds of ground beef because of a suspected contamination with E. coli O157:H7. <br><br>Skylark Meats Inc. voluntarily recalled the

Thursday, October 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) â€” A meatpacking company has recalled about 47,000 pounds of ground beef because of a suspected contamination with E. coli O157:H7.

Skylark Meats Inc. voluntarily recalled the beef Tuesday after a sample tested positive for the pathogen in a Raleigh, N.C., supermarket, two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

No illnesses had been reported.

The recalled beef was packed Sept. 14 and distributed under the ``Laura's Lean Beef'' label to wholesalers in Arizona, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

The ground beef recalled includes:

â€” Boxes with a label that bears ''92/LEAN'' and a case code of ''000200.'' The box contained six 8-pound packages, labeled ''96 LLB GROUND ROUND.''

â€” Boxes with a label that says ''92/LEAN'' with the case code ''000100.'' The boxes contained six 10-pound packages labeled ''92/8LLB GROUND BEEF.''

The beef should no longer be available through retailers because it had a sell date of Sept. 29.

E. coli O157:H7 can cause serious illness and sometimes death, especially in children and the elderly. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 73,480 people a year are infected in the United States, and about 600 die.

â€”â€”â€”

On the Web:

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: http://www.fsis.usda.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov