More than 100,000 pounds of ground beef are recalled for possibly having E. coli

By Ayana Archie

Published November 22, 2024 at 5:19 AM EST

Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of Escherichia coli bacteria (green) taken from the small intestine of a child. E. coli are rod-shaped bacteria that are part of the normal flora of the human gut.

More than 100,000 pounds of ground beef are being recalled due to possibly being contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. government said this week.

Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled nearly 170,000 pounds of ground beef it distributed to restaurants across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture alerted the FSIS about several illnesses last week, and collected a sample of the ground beef a week later that tested positive for E.coli.

The fresh, recalled products have a "use by" date of Nov. 14, 2024, while the frozen products have a production date of Oct. 22, 2024.

Restaurants should throw those products away.

E. coli illness can "cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2–8 days (3–4 days, on average) after exposure [to] the organism," the FSIS said.

In rare cases, it can cause kidney failure. Though, most people recuperate in a week or less.