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Valley Meat Company E. coli Outbreak

An investigation by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) into a cluster of E. coli illnesses led Valley Meat Company of Modesto, CA to recall 1 million pounds of potentially contaminated beef products, mostly frozen, in 2010. The ground beef products were produced between Oct. 2, 2009 andJan. 12, 2010 and were distributed to retail outlets and institutional food service providers in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and internationally.

CDPH identified 7 illnesses associated with the meat recalled for E. coli contamination.

The first symptom of E. coli infection is the onset of abdominal pain and severe cramps, followed within 24 hours by diarrhea, which may be bloody. This is hemorrhagic colitis, and it typically occurs within 2 to 5 days of ingestion of E. coli; however the incubation period—the time between the ingestion of E. coli bacteria and the onset of illness—may anywhere from 1 to 10 days. More information on symptoms and risks of E. coli infection are posted on about-ecoli.com

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