As many as 21 people in 8 different states may have fallen ill after eating hamburgers possibly contaminated with E. Coli bacteria, an Associated Press Article reported on Wednesday, September 26th. The company, Topps Meat Company, is the leading U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers.
A spokesperson from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that 3 cases were a result of the ingestion of the ground beef with the other 18 cases possibly linked and under investigation. The confirmed cases occurred in the states of New York and Florida while the cases under investigation were reported in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Topps Meat Company based out of Elizabeth, N.J. announced a recall of 331,582 pounds of frozen beef patties in 21 different products. The boxes recalled carry the number “EST. 9748” inside the USDA mark of inspection and were produced on June 22, July 12 or July 23. A Topps spokeswoman said officials continue working to find the cause of the contamination.