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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah-based beef producer has decided to preemptively recall about 38,200 pounds of its products, citing possible contamination with E. coli.
The bacteria were found during routine inspections of beef at Dale T. Smith and Sons by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. No cases of illness appear to be associated with the beef so far.
"We consider food safety a top priority and work hard to avoid these types of incidences," Dale Smith said in a statement. "We're truly grateful that the issue was detected through testing and not because of any illness."
Products on recall were shipped to Utah and California and include: Boneless Beef, primal cuts, subprimal cuts, and other boxed beef products that were produced on Aug. 7. Some boxes will be labeled with the date "08/07/2012" as well as an "establishment number" which should appear as "EST. 4975." Products that have undergone further processing may not have "EST.4975" marked on them.
The USDA said in a statement that the problem was likely due to a refrigeration failure, but that all beef produced on Aug. 7 was being recalled because of "a strong potential for cross contamination during production." The recall was classified as Class I, meaning that there is a reasonable chance that using the product in question would have "adverse health consequences) according to the USDA's website.
Consumers with questions are free to call company representative at (801) 571-3611.
Contributing: Sandra Yi
