Walmart customers who have recently purchased ground beef from the retail giant are being asked to check their refrigerators and freezers for potentially contaminated meat.
A recall of the product was announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The agency cited concerns that thousands of pounds of beef could be contaminated by E. coli. The affected products are not isolated to any particular region and could be in Walmart stores nationwide, it said.
“Cargill Meat Solutions, a Hazleton, Pa., establishment, is recalling approximately 16,243 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli,” the FSIS said in the release.
It said the beef in question was packaged Friday and Saturday.
Anyone who has purchased beef in a Walmart location since then was asked to look for the following products:
“• 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing ‘93% LEAN 7% FAT ALL NATURAL LEAN GROUND BEEF’ with lot code 117 and establishment number ‘EST. 86P’ printed on the back of the label.
“• 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four ‘PRIME RIB BEEF STEAK BURGERS PATTIES’ with lot code 118 and establishment number ‘EST. 86P’ printed on the back of the label.
“• 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing ‘85% LEAN 15% FAT ALL NATURAL ANGUS PREMIUM GROUND BEEF’ with lot code 117 and establishment number ‘EST. 86P’ printed on the back of the label.
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“• 2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing ‘80% LEAN 20% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF CHUCK’ with lot code 118 and establishment number ‘EST. 86P’ printed on the back of the label.
“• 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four ‘80% LEAN 20% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF CHUCK PATTIES’ with lot code 118 and establishment number ‘EST. 86P’ printed on the back of the label.
“• 1.33-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays containing four ‘90% LEAN 10% FAT ALL NATURAL GROUND BEEF SIRLOIN PATTIES’ with lot code 118 and establishment number ‘EST. 86P’ printed on the back of the label.”
According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service, Cargill Meat Solutions flagged the products in the recall after concerns were raised about potential contamination by a “segregated” product that might have been used to package them.
No illnesses had been reported from the beef as of Thursday afternoon.
However, the FSIS said that does not mean the thousands of people who could have contaminated beef in their kitchens are safe.
“Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them,” it said. “These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can take days for symptoms to appear after an E. coli infection.
Symptoms include but are not limited to severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and fever.
Walmart did not offer a specific statement on Wednesday’s recall but says on its website it is “committed to the health and safety of our customers and members and to providing products that are safe and compliant, all supported by our health and wellness, product safety, and food safety professionals.”
“In the event of a product recall, we work swiftly to block the item from being sold and remove it from our stores and clubs,” the company added.
Walmart also provided a comprehensive list of every location where the potentially contaminated beef was shipped.
Many of the stores are on the East Coast, including in Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland and New York.
