Cargill Inc. Recalls 1M Lbs. Of Ground Beef

Minneapolis, MN (AHN) - Cargill Inc. has announced it is recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef due to possible contamination with E.coli bacteria - this is the second time in a month that it has made a voluntary recall of its products.

John Keating, president of Cargill Regional Beef, said there have been no reports of illnesses so far.

"We are working closely with the USDA to remove this product from the marketplace," Keating said in a statement.

The beef involved in the recall was produced between October 8 and October 11 at the Wyalusing, Pennsylvania plant and was later distributed across the country to various retailers including Giant, Shop Rite, Stop and Shop, Wegman's and Weis.

According to a report by The Associated Press, a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection of a sample produced on October 8 revealed that the sample may contain E.coli O157:H7.

"We do look in all directions to ensure that products that could be contaminated are not available to consumers" said Amanda Eamich, a spokeswoman for the USDA Food and Safety Inspection Service, reports AP.

A Cargill spokesperson said 10 states are included in the recall - Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Cargill is one of the world's largest meat producers and its meat business is based in Wichita, Kansas while its headquartered in Mayzata, Minnesota.