Lorigo’s Meating Place Recalls Ground Beef Patties After Tests Reveal Presence of E. coli O157:H7
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a Class I recall of ground beef product by Lorigo’s Meating Place on Thursday evening. According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Buffalo-area establishment is recalling the meat product due to potential contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
The ground beef patties being recalled were produced on April 15, 2016 and meet the following specifications:
- Sold as a 5 lb. box of ground beef patties;
- Box label reads “LORIGO BRAND BEEF PATTIES KEEP FROZEN THE MEATING PLACE INC.”; and
- All boxes subject to recall are printed with package code number 120106.
In addition, only products with the establishment number 8631 are subject to the recall. The establishment number may be found inside the USDA mark of inspection, and will be marked as “Est. 8631.”
A routine in-plant review of testing results by FSIS uncovered the potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Although there have been no confirmed illnesses linked to the contaminated beef as of this time, the recalled item had already shipped to retail and institutional locations in the Buffalo, New York area prior to the recall announcement.
Lorigo’s Meating Place is located on Grant Street in Buffalo, New York, and is a family-owned and family-run operation. According to Rising Buffalo, the store “originated on the East Side of Buffalo and migrated to the West Side in the 1970’s” — the establishment moved to its current Grant Street location in 1986. Wholesale trade makes up 75% of the Meating Place’s business, but the business also has a small retail store. In addition, a “small factory” used to make sausages and meatballs is attached to the side of the building.
“FSIS and the company are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers,” according to the recall notice posted on the USDA website. The notice goes on to implore any consumer that purchased the recalled product not to consume the meat patties, but to throw the product away or return it to the place of purchase.
“Health Risk: High” USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service Says in Class I Recall Release
USDA classified the health risk associated with the Meating Place product as “high,” and classified the recall as a USDA Class I Recall. According to FSIS, a Class I designation indicates that there is a “health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the [recalled] product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
FSIS notified the public of the recall through a Recall Release late Thursday night. FSIS issues a Recall Release for all Class I and Class II recalls. The Recall Release is disseminated among media outlets in all areas where it is known that the product was distributed. In addition, for each Class I recall, FSIS develops a list of retail establishments that did or currently do have that have, or have had, the recalled products in their possession. The list includes the name, street address, city and state of each retailer and is posted within approximately 3 to 10 days of the date of the recall, FSIS says.
