A public health alert was issued for ground beef sold at the La Michoacana Meat Market in Greenville, a city about 50 miles northeast of Dallas, Texas, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Monday over the presence of E. coli.
A problem with the ground beef sold at La Michoacana Meat Market—the local branch of a Hispanic-themed chain of specialty stores and grocery stores that can be found across the country—was discovered during routine product testing.
A sample of the ground beef sold at the Greenville market tested positive for the presence of the bacterium E. coli O157:H7. This bacterium, a specific strain of E. coli, is usually associated with raw or undercooked beef—especially ground beef—and unpasteurized milk.
The product was not recalled by the FSIS as it was only available for sale to customers until December 1. The raw ground beef was ground in the Greenville La Michoacana Meat Market on November 28 and packaged for consumers behind the meat counter in varying weights.
These are the products subject to the public health alert:
- Varying weights of ground beef packed in butcher paper, containing "CARNE MOLIDA REGULAR/GROUND BEEF" with "Packed On" dates ranging Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, 2022, and "Sell By Dec. 1 2022" on the label.
These items were only sold in La Michoacana Meat Market retail store, located at 5106 Wesley St., Greenville, Texas, 75402, according to the FSIS statement.
The FSIS reported that there have been no confirmed cases of adverse reactions due to the consumption of these products.
Newsweek has contacted the La Michoacana Meat Market in Greenville.
Is E. coli so Dangerous?
Some wildlife, livestock, and humans are occasional carriers of pathogenic E. coli and can contaminate meats and food crops, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Contamination of food with E. coli typically takes place when feces come into contact with food or water, writes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Most strains of E. coli—a bacterium that is commonly found in the guts of humans and warm-blooded animals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)—are harmless, but that's not the case for E. coli O157:H7.
This strain of the bacterium is potentially deadly. It's transmitted to people through ingestion of contaminated food—usually beef and other meat products—and can cause dehydration, diarrhea—which can escalate to haemorrhagic colitis, known as bloody diarrhea—abdominal cramps and even fever and vomiting, according to WHO.
The incubation period of the bacterium ranges between three and eight days after exposure, according to WHO. The FSIS writes that, on average, the incubation lasts between three and four days.
Most patients recover within a week or 10 days, but a small percentage of people can develop a type of kidney failure called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). Young children—under 5—and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to developing this condition. The telltale symptoms include easy bruising, pallor and decreased urine output.
The FSIS recommends that anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.
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