Overview

• FSIS issued a public health alert on June 4 after NPC Processing Inc. notified regulators that Organic Rancher ground beef produced May 22–23 tested positive for E. coli O157:H7.
• The alert covers 1-pound, vacuum-packed packages labeled “ORGANIC RANCHER ORGANIC GROUND BEEF 85% LEAN 15% FAT” bearing establishment number EST. 4027.
• Officials did not request a recall because the products are no longer on store shelves but warn they could still be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.
• The beef was imported from Australia and Uruguay, processed in Shelburne, Vermont, and shipped through distributors in Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois and Maryland before reaching Whole Foods Market locations nationwide.
• Health authorities caution that E. coli O157:H7 can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome in vulnerable groups and advise discarding or returning any remaining packages.