Huge Ground Beef Recall Expands to Include 12 Million Pounds of Beef

The ground beef recall that began in October has been expanded to include another 5 million pounds of beef.

JBS Tolleson, the nation's largest beef processor, recalled 6.9 millions pounds of beef in October over salmonella concerns. Now, the USDA says the recall has been expanded to include an additional 5.1 million pounds.

The raw beef, including ground beef, were packaged on various dates from July 26, 2018 to Sept. 7, 2018. The following products are subject to recall: Products List (PDF) and Product Labels (PDF only), according to the USDA.

Officials at the USDA are especially concerned that consumers could have some of the beef in freezers, for use at a later date. Be sure to check any beef you may have frozen. 

If you eat food contaminated with salmonella, symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated food. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment. In some persons, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider.

If you're cooking ground beef, be sure to follow safe food handling procedures and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160°F.  Other cuts of beef should be cooked to a temperature of 145 °F and allowed to rest for at least 3 minutes. The only way to confirm that ground beef or other cuts of beef are cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.