In a July 22, 2012 press release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) warned consumers to check their freezers for ground beef that could be contaminated with Salmonella. Cargill was recalling over 29,000 pounds of ground beef products for potential Salmonella contamination after a Salmonella outbreak among residents of seven states was traced to Cargill ground beef.
According to the FSIS press release issued August 5, 2012, at least 40 people from Maine (1), Massachusetts (3), New Hampshire (2), New York (18), Rhode Island (2), Vermont (11), Virginia (2), and West Virginia (1). At least 11 people were hospitalized with Salmonella after eating the ground beef, which was produced by Cargill on May 25, 2012 and was distributed on the East Coast for further distribution. The Salmonella-contaminated ground beef was repackaged into consumer-size packages and sold under various store brand names.