Washington company recalls beef trim over possible E. coli contamination

Jan 29, 2015

Over 1000 lbs being recalled

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Agency (FSIS) announced a recall of 1,620 pounds of boneless beef trimmings from Washington Beef out of Toppenish, Washington.

The products are being recalled because of a possible contamination of the products with E. coli 0157:H7.

The 60lb bulk bags of “TRIM 65/35 (FZN)” will feature “EST. 235” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

This is being considered as a Class I, high health risk recall because “there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

E. coli is a possibly deadly bacteria that can cause such symptoms as bloody diarrhea, dehydration and abdominal cramps. If contracted, some people could develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure caused by the “premature destruction of the red blood cells,” as described by the Mayo Clinic.

HUS symptoms can include easy bruising, decrease urination or blood in the urine, swelling and confusion. Children under five years of age and older adults are most commonly affected by HUS.

The products in question were shipped for use in hotels, restaurants and other institutions in Oregon and Washington.

FSIS recommends cooking any meat products including fresh or frozen to an internal temperature of 160°F and that colour is not a reliable indicator that the meat is cooked enough to kill harmful bacteria.

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.