Northfork Bison E. Coli Outbreak Spurs Recall
A major distributor of bison meat in portions of the United States and Canada, Northfolk Bison Distributions, has issued a voluntary recall on a large portion of their bison-based products that were processed earlier in the year, per the Food and Drug Association (FDA). This came as a result of an investigation of illnesses in multiple states that found there to be at least one of two common strains of E.coli in the company’s bison products. The two strains, E. coli O121 and O103, are known to lead to intestinal bleeding and even kidney failure in severe cases that are not treated in a timely manner.
Northfork Bison Distributions operates out of Quebec, and deals in other commercial meats like elk, boar, ostrich, and various small-game in addition to their bison products. There is no indication that the investigation found any other meats to be affected by the outbreak, though the outbreak and subsequent recall is deserving of greater attention given that bison is the company’s primary sale.
According to the FDA, the recall was issued during July, and advises that no “ground bison meat and bison patties produced between February 22 and April 30, 2019” be sold or consumed. Emphasis was placed on products sold to retailers containing “4 x 4-ounce packages” of the bison meat. The expiration dates on the distributed products may range until October 2020, and the FDA warns against consuming any bison products distributed by Northfork that meet these criterion, as the products are shipped and stored frozen and may be affected by at least one of the two popular strains of the bacteria E. coli.
Though the outbreak was declared over by the FDA on the 13th of September 2019, consumers of bison products should be cautious of their consumption and ensure that they are not exposing themselves to or consuming any potentially infested products from Northfork Bison Distributions that may remain in their freezers, since freezing does not kill E. coli O121 and O103. “This,” says national food poisoning lawyer Ron Simon, “is the primary concern now. That families may still be exposed to this potentially deadly product because they do not carefully review any bison they have frozen.”
