American Foods Group, LLC, a Green Bay, Wisconsin firm, recalled approximately 95,927 pounds of various coarse and fine ground beef products because they are contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Saturday. The ground beef products subject to recall were produced on Oct. 10, 2007, and were distributed to retail establishments and distributors in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia. The problem was discovered through an investigation into two illnesses that was initiated by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
"Unfortunately for AFG's customers this was not an isolated occurrence. We have seen this all before," said Seattle food safety attorney, William Marler. "In December 2000, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued a press release stating that 17 Minnesota citizens had been infected with the same strain of the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria during November 2000. On December 4, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service ("FSIS"), an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA"), stated in a Class I alert that Green Bay Dressed Beef, Green Bay, Wisconsin the meat supplier doing business as American Foods Group ("AFG"), was, at the suggestion of the FSIS, recalling 1.1 million pounds of contaminated ground beef. One of the young children we represented developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)," added Marler.
Also according to Marler, "from Minnesota State Health Department records it was learned that in December 1998, another recall was issued for 1,000 pounds of beef manufactured by AFG and distributed to Cub Foods stores in the Chicago, Illinois area after random testing showed that meat in one of the stores was contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Again, in December 1999, a recall of ground beef was made after government inspectors found contamination at the AFG plant. Yet another recall, this time for over 500,000 pounds of ground beef manufactured by AFG, occurred in August 2001. In that outbreak we represented five people."
Since the spring of this year over 30 million pounds of hamburger have been recalled in the United States and hundreds have been sickened. This makes 2007 one of the worst years on record.
Marler Clark (www.marlerclark.com) has extensive experience representing victims of foodborne bacterial illnesses. William Marler represented Brianne Kiner in her $15.6 million E. coli award against Jack in the Box in 1993. Mr. Marler has been involved in every major E. coli outbreak, primarily representing injured children, in the last 14 years. The partners at Marler Clark also speak frequently on issues of safe food and have formed www.outbreakinc.com, a non-profit business dedicated to training companies on how to avoid foodborne diseases. Marler Clark is also proud to sponsor the informational web sites www.about-ecoli.com, www.about-hus.com, www.ecolilitigation.com and www.ecoliblog.com. Mr. Marler posts frequently on food safety on his blog, www.marlerblog.com. He can be reached at bmarler@marlerclark.com or 1-206-346-1879.