Nearly 5000 pounds of boneless veal, produced at the Gold Medal Packing plant in Rome, New York, is being recalled due to the finding of at least two strains of E. coli, including O26 and O45. Neither are as common and the O157 that accounts for most food borne illness from E. coli, and as such identification of those cases linked to this outbreak will be difficult. Most labs do not test for these strains, so the standard E. coli O157 test will be negative, but the bloody diarrhea will lead to the clinical diagnosis (in many cases) of a Shiga toxin producing E. coli. Because it is hard to identify, E. coli O26 outbreaks and E. coli O45 outbreaks are rarely reported.
According to Gold Medal, all recalled veal will have establishment number “EST. 17965” inside the USDA mark of inspection and will have been produced between August 16, 2016 and October 25, 2016. The recall includes “BONELESS VEAL”; “TBS”; “HEARTLAND VEAL BONELESS LEG CUTLET”; “VEAL BONELESS LEG CUTLET”; and “VEAL BONELESS LEG TOP ROUND CUTLET”. Many of these items has wide distribution in the U.S. market.
