Four additional individuals have fallen ill due to an E. coli outbreak associated with tainted ground beef from Wolverine Packing Co. in Detroit. This has prompted a nationwide recall of over 160,000 pounds of the product, raising the total number of cases to 15.
This week, the Department of Agriculture reported four additional cases of E. coli-related illnesses in Minnesota linked to burgers made with contaminated ground beef served at Red Cow restaurant locations and the Hen House Eatery in Minneapolis.
Additional cases have been reported just days after the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed that 11 individuals fell ill after consuming the contaminated meat from October 31 to November 7.
Wolverine Packing Co. has recalled 167,277 pounds of beef distributed to restaurants across the country. Restaurants are advised to inspect their refrigerators and freezers and dispose of any affected packages.
The E. Coli strain linked to the ground beef contamination is the same one, E. coli O157:H7, that was previously associated with contaminated onions in certain McDonald’s Quarter Pounders last October, which resulted in over 100 illnesses.
The contamination of ground beef is not connected to the nationwide recall of carrots from Saturday, which is also associated with a recent E. Coli outbreak that resulted in one death and numerous illnesses across several states, including Minnesota.