#More than 40,000 pounds of ground beef recalled due to E. coli

Close to 43,000 pounds of raw ground beef products are being recalled due to possible E. coli contamination.

Swedesboro, NJ-based Lakeside Refrigerated Services is recalling 42,922 pounds of meat that may be infected with the Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain of the potentially lethal bacteria, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late Saturday. The beef products were produced on June 1 and sold at distributors including Walmart, under brand names Thomas Farms and Marketside Butcher.

“These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide,” reads the USDA news release announcing the recall. “FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”

The possible contamination was discovered during the agency’s routine testing process. There have not yet been any reports of adverse reactions due to product consumption, but the bacteria can be deadly. Average symptoms in those sickened by it include dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps for three to four days after exposure, with most recovering within a week. Some consumers, however, develop hemolytic uremic syndrome — a type of kidney failure marked by “easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output,” most commonly occurring in children under 5 and the elderly, warns the release. Anyone who experiences these symptoms is advised to immediately seek emergency medical care.

A detailed list of all seven recalled products is published in the release. Consumers can contact Lakeside’s call center at 856-832-3881 with further questions.

The recall is classified as Class I, the most serious category of the USDA’s three recall classifications, implying a high health risk and a “reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”