Utah firm recalls beef for E. coli O157:H7

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A Utah meat packing company is recalling approximately 38,200 pounds of beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, U.S. health officials say.

Officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Tuesday the following products from Dale T. Smith and Sons Meat Packing, in Draper, Utah, were subject to recall -- various weight combo bins of Boneless Beef "50/50," "85/15," "90/10," "93/07" or "95/05" produced Aug. 7 and various weight boxes of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef produced Aug. 7.

"Each box bears a label with the identifying package date of "08/07/2012" as well as the establishment number 'EST. 4975' inside the USDA mark of inspection," the FSIS said in a statement. "The products subject to recall were distributed to wholesale and retail establishments in California and Salt Lake City. It is important to note that the products were destined for further processing and may not bear 'EST. 4975' on the products available for direct consumer purchase. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on FSIS' Web site atwww.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp."

Laboratory testing discovered the problem, which might have occurred as a result of a refrigeration malfunction, officials said.

The company is recalling all beef products produced Aug. 7 because of a strong potential for cross-contamination during production, but neither the FSIS nor the company has received reports of any illnesses, the statement said.