Sam’s Club Pulls Cargill Ground Beef Off Shelves In North Carolina and Other US States
National warehouse chain Sam’s Club is issuing a nationwide recall of ground beef patties made by Cargill. The recall comes after four children developed E. Coli from eating the patties. Cargill is requesting that Sam’s Club customers who purchased any patties after August 26 destroy or return the frozen meat.
Food manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and restaurants are legally obligated to make sure that the food products that they make, distribute, prepare, or cook are safe for consumption. A consumer who gets sick, injured, or dies from eating a food product that wasn’t properly prepared, stored, or cooked, may have grounds to file a products liability case against any negligent party responsible for allowing the contaminated food product to enter the marketplace or restaurant dinning room.
The four kids got sick between September 10 – September 20 after they ate patties that had been purchased frozen under the name "American Chef’s Selection Angus Beef Patties" in Minnesota. Two of the children had to be hospitalized.
Cargill is one of the largest privately owned makers of food ingredients in the United States. It ships products internationally as well. The patties had a February 12, 2008 expiration date and were coded UPC 0002874907056 Item #700141.
Cargill is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to figure out the scope of the problem. Officials had traced the source of the E.coli to a ground beef facility in Wisconsin.
E. coli is a bacterium that can be found in animals, such as cows and sheep. When meat products are not properly cooked, the bacterium can infect a person that has eaten the food product. E. coli is a foodborne bacteria that can infect humans when food that is already contaminated is undercooked. Person-to-person contact is another way to transmit E. coli. Fresh leafy vegetables, such as spinach and lettuce, and unpasteurized milk have also been known to contain E. coli.
E. coli can lead to bloody diarrhea, nonbloody diarrhea, cramping, and a sight fever. E. coli illnesses usually last between 5 to 10 days. However, kids and elderly people with a lower immune system can experience kidney failure and even death if they are infected with E coli.
The Sam's Club-Cargill recall comes on the heels of a recent recall by Topps Meat Company to pull 21 million pounds of ground beef off shelves because of E. coli worries. The recall was one of the largest in U.S. history and forced the 67-year-old privately owned company to shut down operations.
Sam's Club Beef Recalled After Illnesses, AP, October 6, 2007
After Extensive Beef Recall, Topps Goes Out of Business, The New York Times, October 6, 2007
Escherichia coli O157:H7, CDC.gov
Related Web Resources:
Sam’s Club Statement Regarding Minnesota Department of Health Investigation of Frozen Ground Beef Patties and E. Coli cases, Sam's Club Press Room, October 5, 2007
Cargill Meat Solutions recalls frozen ground beef patties, Cargill, Inc., October 6, 2007
The Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo LLP is a personal injury law firm that represents clients that have been injured because of a defective or contaminated product in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Our products liability lawyers are knowledgeable about the different rules and regulations that apply to products liability cases in both states, and we have the resources and experience to represent you. We have helped many of our personal injury clients obtain compensation for their injuries.
Contact the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo LLP today and ask for your free consultation with one of our products liability lawyers.
