Sam Amico
Federal health officials said ground beef contaminated with salmonella has caused sickness to 16 people in four Northeastern states, and at least six have been hospitalized.
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Illnesses have been reported in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut, with ground beef being the only common food reported in the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Each of those who became sick reported eating 80% lean ground beef bought from ShopRite stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. That said, the investigation is ongoing and no recall has been issued.
The CDC added that more people may be suffering from similar illnesses but have to report them, making the true number unknown. Oftentimes, people will recover from salmonella poisoning without needing medical care.
“Ground beef is the only common food people reported eating,” the CDC said. “Investigators are working to identify the source of the ground beef sick people ate.”
ShopRite is owned by Wakefern Food Corp.
“The purpose of the CDC announcement was to ensure that customers who may have purchased ground beef product in or around the April 27 to June 16 time frame and may still have product in their freezers are aware of the situation,” Wakefern spokesperson Karen O’Shea said in a statement. “The CDC announcement also emphasized the importance of safe food handling and proper cooking of ground beef products.”
Symptoms of salmonella infection include fever, dehydration, diarrhea and bloody diarrhea, and nausea and vomiting. raw or undercook meat is a known source of salmonella.
