Whole Foods recalling possibly contaminated beef

WASHINGTON — Whole Foods Market is recalling fresh ground beef sold between June 2 through Aug. 6 because the beef might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

The company has received reports that seven people in Massachusetts and two people in Pennsylvania who shopped at Whole Foods Market became ill, said spokeswoman Libba Letton.

Letton said the company's recalled beef was processed at the Nebraska Beef plant linked to the E. coli outbreak this summer. Federal health authorities say there have been 49 confirmed illnesses tied to that outbreak.

The recalled beef might have been sold at Whole Foods Market stores in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D. C., Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Canada.

Whole Foods Market of Austin, Texas, is asking customers who may have purchased ground beef from June 2 though Aug. 6 to dispose of the product and return it to the store with the packaging or receipt for a refund. For more information, consumers can call 512-542-0878.

Comments

[sf94127]

The FTC investigation of whole foods is another example of government waste and incompetence.

[GretaR]

What is "beef"??? :-)

Goooooooo, vegan! (Yeah, I know...spinach, tomato, jalepano scare. Whatever.)

[Rook119]

At least for $24/pound your getting grain-fed, organically grown, free range e-coli.

Actually Whole Foods is a decent company that pays good wages. Your wholesome small town market that Whole Foods put out of business probably paid their employees $6/hr with no benefits.

[raker]

This seems more about schadenfreude than e-coli. For some reason (maybe $8.95 for a can of peas?) people seem gleeful that Colman shipped their contaminated beef to Whole Foods. I guess this is comeuppance for their having the temerity to sell food that's pure, free from chemicals and antibiotics. It's practically anti-American!

Do as I did. Shop exclusively at Whole Foods for a year. Then go back and taste your favorite thing with 30 multisyllabic ingredients from the Stop and Shop. You can taste every bit of partially hydrogenated crap in the package. It's sickening. And then you go back to Whole Foods to stay.

[dana94591]

I'm hip! I have tried to eat the way I did before going to Whole Foods (or farmer's markets) and my stomach turned and did flip flops the entire day. Unadulterated food takes a bit better than the hydrogenated loaded with chemical stuff you get at Kroger's or Walmart!!!

[mia8485]

Whole Foods doesn't sell Coleman meats.

At least not the new one near me, the one that took over the Wild Oats that DID sell Coleman meats.

On my first trip into the new Whole Foods, I asked where the beef came from and was told Nebraska Beef was their only brand and it was great, just as good (and natural) as Coleman.

Hardly.

Nebraska Beef, I found out later, even has trouble with their KOSHER meats!!!

Oh, Wild Oats...you and your butchers who only sold Coleman's and made their own fresh (actually natural) ground beef every day...come back!!!!

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

I Guess this means paying a high price does not equate to healthier food

[brushfinch]

well, i just finished eating a hamburger made with that meat...we'll see what happens...

[sculptor]

It's tough and expensive (even for grass fed beef) so who buys it anyway??? ;-) ;-) ;-)

[dana94591]

Well, the owner is a libertarian if that explains anything. He is all for profit for himself because he is part of the marketplace. Alas, he is purchasing food products from mass beef producers in the area which is not what it means to be "local". Buying meat from Tennessee and shipping it all over the country is not good. I have noticed that Houston was not on the recall list. Maybe he is buying locally here. I don't buy beef from WH anyway.

[dana94591]

Ooops, misspoke! Meat from Nebraska and sent to Washington. Yuck!!

[RoseMerry]

How the mighty have fallen. Even Wholier -than-thou Foods is not immune. Is it really to much to ask that our food be free of poop.

[mybostonjack]

People... it's not safe and ethical to eat beef. One of the major causes of global warming is beef production.

[the964kid]

Thank you!

GO VEGETARIAN! (OR VEGAN!!)

[macintoshsauce]

Eat buffalo meat - healthier than beef. Less fat and less cholesterol.

[Quaoar]

Overpopulation is also a major cause of environmental problems. Maybe we should legalize cannibalism. Soylent Green, anyone?

[JTyroler]

I've only heard of Whole Foods, usually as part of a snarky remark about liberals shopping there for arugula. But wasn't part of the idea behind Whole Foods was a higher quality of food? People probably could have bought tainted ground beef for less money at other stores.

I remember when you would often see a USDA stamp on most beef (except ground). That was back ini the day when a government official would verify that the slaughter of animals for food was being done in a clean and safe method.

Maybe Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" should be required reading - it took me several weeks before I ate beef again after reading that.

[Swerinjer]

they sell both conventional and organic alternatives for a lot of stuff. At my whole foods they also sell organic grass fed beef.

[CKieffer]

I believe their beef is also certified humane which is why I make the trip to purchase beef at Whole Foods.

However, there is a farm in PA that I found which ships organic/humane beef raised on their property and I think I am going to go that route after researching them a little more carefully (i.e., their process from start to "finish").

[Ladyrantsalot]

Whole Foods drove all of the independent little organic food stores out of my town. Then they jacked up their prices. They are now in the process of eliminating non Whole Foods brands food from the shelves. It's god-awful "395" garbage all the time. They are an evil empire.

[Swerinjer]

before you hit the "post a comment" button imagine yourself saying it out loud in front of a crowd of strangers. I dont think youd call WF an "evil empire" and not have people laugh in your face. I know i would.

[JTyroler]

I think they might qualify if they're using Walmart-style business practices.

[sheila]

why on earth do people still eat pre-ground meat? you have no idea what got tossed into the grinder with it, but we can all imagine, especially after 50 news stories about revolting things like rodents and spinal cords, not to mention it is constantly contaminated with e. coli - WHICH IS FROM POOP. personally, i don't want to eat "fully cooked poop," which is their genius answer to preventing e coli, any more than i want raw poop. the fake ground meats are pretty good for most purposes, but if you must eat real ground meat, either grind it yourself, or watch the butcher do it in front of you. bleah.

[the964kid]

sheila wrote: ' i don't want to eat "fully cooked poop" '

Over 70% of beef has traces of E Coli, so unless you stop eating it - YOU WILL BE EATING COOKED POOP.

[Mark701]

The Bush Food and Drug Administration in action.