Snap’s Ferry Packing Company, or “Snap’s,” has announced a recall of about 410 pounds of ground beef due to fears of E. coli contamination. The Tennessee Company, centered in Knoxville, issued the recall after E. coli O157:H7, the most common type of E. coli associated with food borne illness, was associated with its product through investigators’ trace-back efforts. The 82 or so packages of ground beef were sold to various area restaurants in Knoxville, reportedly in 5 pound packages, with a production date of November 20, 2015. The packages also have the traditional USDA mark of inspection with a product establishment number “Est. 9085” inside. Investigators have not released information on how many illness have been identified.
Snap’s was identified as a potential source of the outbreak after trace-back efforts by the Tennessee Department of Health and Knox County Health Department led investigators to Snap’s on or about January 19, 2016. The trace-back investigation was in response to one or more E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in the state. The Tennessee health agencies are now working with the Food Safety and Inspection Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture which has jurisdiction over beef production.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in the elderly, the young, or those with a compromised immune system. For others, it presents with nausea, bloody diarrhea, stomach cramping and abdominal pain, among other symptoms. The most pronounced symptom of E. coli poisoning is the bloody diarrhea, a condition caused by the shiga toxin that E. coli O157:H7 sheds. Anyone who experiences bloody diarrhea should seek medical attention and provide a stool sample for testing (a “stool culture”).
For information on the Snap’s Ferry Knoxville E. Coli Recall or any other outbreak, you may call 1-888-335-4901 to talk to an E. coli lawyer at Ron Simon & Associates.
