16 with Salmonella, linked to ground beef

• Tweet

ATLANTA, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. officials say 16 people in five states are infected with Salmonella with ground beef by Jouni Meats Inc. and Gab Halal Foods the likely sources.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said seven of the ill people reported eating a raw ground beef dish at the same restaurant. The restaurant served raw beef to customers and had acquired the raw beef from two retailers -- Jouni Meats and Halal Foods.

All seven of the people reported eating raw ground beef kibbeh -- a dish typically made of finely ground red meat, usually beef, minced onions and bulgur wheat -- at the same restaurant before becoming ill, the CDC said.

On Jan. 24 Jouni Meats Inc. recalled approximately 500 pounds of ground beef products, and on Jan. 25 Gab Halal Foods recalled approximately 550 pounds of ground beef products, the CDC said.

"Consumers should not eat raw or undercooked ground beef," CDC officials said in a statement. "The CDC recommends consumers do not eat recalled ground beef products and that they dispose of any remaining recalled product in their home or return the product to the place of purchase. This is especially important for children under the age of 5, older adults and people with weakened immune systems."

Consumers should check their freezers for recalled products and not eat them, the CDC said.

The CDC said it was collaborating with public health officials in several states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service to investigate the multistate outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections.

The infections people were from Arizona (1), Illinois (2), Iowa (1), Michigan (9) and Wisconsin (3).