Target and Aldi shoppers are encouraged to throw out certain ground beef products purchased at these stores as they may be contaminated with E. coli traced back to a Cargill plant last week.
The food safety division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday published an updated list of retailers that received meat products from Cargill's slaughterhouse and meatpacking facility in Fort Morgan, Colo., that may have been exposed to E. coli.
Last week, Minnetonka-based Cargill and the USDA recalled more than 132,000 pounds of ground beef. Initially, the federal agency and Cargill didn't know where all the meat went after it was sold to a distributor. Consumers were told to look for an establishment number — EST. 86R — found on the ground beef's packaging, inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The full list of retailers includes Target stores nationwide and Aldi stores across the Midwest, including in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.
At least 17 people were sickened and one person died in Florida after eating beef that came from the plant. All 18 cases occurred in July and spanned four states: Florida, Colorado, Tennessee and Massachusetts. Most of the cases were in Florida with ground beef purchased from various Publix supermarkets, according to the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) investigation.
The CDC now believes the outbreak is over. But the organization advises consumers to check any ground beef product bought at these stores that may be in their freezer.
The affected beef was also distributed to Meijer and Albertson's/Safeway stores nationwide, as well as a number of regional and independent retailers.
Not all ground beef bought at these stores is affected. Consumers are urged to either return or throw away any product bearing the EST. 86R number. Investigators say consumers should call the store where they purchased the product to check if their beef is affected. Consumers can also call 1-844-419-1574 for additional questions about the outbreak.
