New York Injury Talk Blog

The recent recall of about 546,000 pounds of fresh ground beef distributed in September by Ashville, NY-based Fairbank Farms, has left consumers and citizens concerned about the risk of E. Coli contamination. According to a manufacturing.net article, the recalled meat was sold in stores in New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The report stated that at least two deaths and 26 other illnesses may be connected to the recalled fresh ground beef that might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Apparently, one of the deaths involved a New York adult with multiple underlying health conditions. The other death was previously reported by New Hampshire when a patient died of complications. A spokeswoman for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said that all but three of the suspected E. coli infections are in the northeastern United States and 18 are in New England.

The recall notice issued by the U.S Department of Agriculture stated that the possibly contaminated meat was sold under the Fairbank Farms name in numerous forms, including meatball mix, hamburger patties, and meatloaf. Another important note is that the recalled products were sold at Price Chopper, Trader Joe’s, Lancaster, Shaw’s, Wild Harvest, BJ’s, Ford Brothers, and Giant stores in packages that carried the number “EST. 492” on the label. Furthermore, the meat was packaged September 15-16 and may have been labeled with a sell-by date from September 19 through September 28. So considering that the recalled meat should no longer be sold as a fresh product in supermarkets, consumers must turn to their freezers to make sure that they do not ingest possibly tainted meat.