USDA OKs Nebraska Beef changes after recall

At least 41 illnesses in Michigan and Ohio have been tied to Nebraska Beef’s products.

OMAHA, Neb. — Federal officials have approved changes Nebraska Beef Ltd. proposed after it recalled 5.3 million pounds of beef last week.

USDA spokeswoman Amanda Eamich said Thursday that the company’s plan satisfies concerns raised after the meat was linked to an E. coli outbreak. At least 41 illnesses in Michigan and Ohio have been tied to Nebraska Beef’s products.

The recalled beef was sold to wholesalers and distributors for further processings, so it may be difficult for consumers to determine whether they bought meat containing Nebraska Beef products.

Some of the recalled beef was sold by Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. stores. The grocer has recalled ground beef products in more than 20 states.

Eamich said USDA inspectors will check on the plant, which is in Omaha, over the next 90 days to make sure Nebraska Beef completes the changes it proposed.

But Eamich would not discuss the details of the changes Nebraska Beef proposed. She said information about the changes would be released only through a formal Freedom of Information Act request. The Associated Press submitted such a request on Thursday.

Nebraska Beef spokesman Bill Lamson did not immediately respond to a message left Thursday.

Previously, Lamson has said the plant had added another lactic acid bath, which helps kill bacteria, and hired an outside lab to test its products.

Twenty-two people have been hospitalized since the first case of E. coli linked to the beef was identified May 30, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Officials at the CDC are investigating at least eight cases of E. coli reported in southwest Georgia to determine whether the cases are linked to Nebraska Beef’s products, but CDC spokeswoman Arleen Porcell said test results answering that question aren’t expected before today.

The Southwest Georgia Public Health District has determined that all the people who became ill in Colquitt County had eaten food from the same local barbecue restaurant. Spokeswoman Carolyn Maschke said the restaurant, which makes its own ground beef, recently began buying meat from Nebraska Beef.

And Maschke said one of the Georgia cases of E. coli matched the exact strain of E. coli the CDC identified in Michigan and Ohio.

Several lawsuits have been filed against privately held Nebraska Beef as a result of the E. coli outbreak and recall. The company slaughters about 2,000 head of cattle a day and employs about 800 people in Omaha.

Cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees should kill E. coli bacteria, if they are present. The USDA recommends that people use a meat thermometer to verify they have cooked meat thoroughly.

The CDC estimates that the E. coli 0157:H7 variant sickens about 73,000 people and kills 61 each year in the United States. Most of those who die have weak immune systems, such as the elderly or very young.

Symptoms of E. coli infection include stomach cramps and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days.