Meatpacker JBS is recalling more than 6.5 million pounds of beef due to possible Salmonella contamination.
The recall involves beef from a Tolleson, Arizona, facility and includes items packed on dates ranging from late July to early September. The Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service labeled the issue a Class I recall, denoting a “health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
According to FSIS, an investigation has identified 57 illnesses across 16 states as a result of the outbreak, with JBS identified as the common supplier of the ground beef products in question. While the products have been determined to originate at the Tolleson facility, they were distributed nationwide. FSIS has identified 49 product labels subject to the recall.
In a statement, JBS said the recall is taking place “out of an abundance of caution.”
“JBS USA initiated a voluntary recall of ground beef products from our Tolleson, Ariz., beef production facility due to the potential presence of Salmonella,” the company said. “Our priority at all times is consumer safety. We are working in close partnership with USDA to make sure all potentially impacted product is removed from stores and homes.”
FSIS says consumers who have purchased the products in question are urged not to consume them. The products “should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
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