MDH concluded:
The isolation of the rare outbreak PFGE subtype of E. coli O157:H7 from a sample of beef trimmings from a USDA-inspected plant in the weeks prior to the outbreak suggests that the chuck rolls that were used to produce the ground beef at the store were likely already contaminated when received in the store. … records that were available from the Tabaka’s Supervalu and [Interstate Meat] suggested that the ultimate source of the implicated chuck rolls was [Nebraska Beef].
The lawyers at Marler Clark filed three E. coli lawsuits against Nebraska Beef, Interstate Meat, and Tabaka’s Supervalu in October of 2007. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of a man and two women who became ill with E. coli infections, and the family of a woman who died after eating the contaminated meat. All of the cases have been resolved.