Ground beef purchased from ShopRite locations in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York may be the source of a multistate outbreak of Salmonella, according to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The federal agency is investigating sixteen (16) cases of Salmonella Saintpaul infections in Connecticut (1), Massachusetts (1), New Jersey (9), and New York (5).
Four of the outbreak victims have been hospitalized. There have been no deaths.
Victims range in age from less than one year old to 97 years old. Nineteen percent (19%) of the victims are children under five years of age.
Ground beef is the only common food that victims who were interviewed remembered having eaten in the days before become ill.
All of the people who remembered the type of ground beef they ate and where they bought it reported eating 80% lean ground beef purchased from ShopRite locations in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.
Timeline
The first victim began to experience symptoms on April 27, 2023. The most recent victim developed symptoms of Salmonella infection on June 16, 2023.
The number of reported cases is likely to grow, as it can take as long as three to four weeks for suspected cases to be confirmed as part of an outbreak.
The CDC is currently searching its PulseNet data base to check for additional hitherto unidentified outbreak cases.
In March 2023, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recovered a strain of Salmonella SaintPaul closely related to the current outbreak strain in a sample of ground beef analyzed as part of a routine surveillance program.
There was no recall, as the FSIS does not consider Salmonella-contaminated raw ground beef to be adulterated.
Salmonella and raw beef
Raw beef is a common source of Salmonella illnesses.
From 2012 to 2019, 27 Salmonella outbreaks were linked to beef consumption.
The 27 outbreaks resulted in 1103 illnesses, 254 hospitalizations, and two deaths. The most common category of beef behind the outbreaks was raw, ground beef.
In spite of this clear connection between Salmonella illnesses and the presence of the pathogen in raw beef, the FSIS has resisted efforts over the years to name Salmonella as an adulterant in raw beef.
The agency’s position is that raw beef is meant to be cooked before being consumed, thus minimizing the risk to consumers.
USDA recommends that consumers cook raw ground beef to an internal temperature of 160ºF to ensure that any Salmonella present will be killed.
The situation is different in Europe.
The presence of Salmonella or any other foodborne pathogen in raw meat is grounds for issuance of a recall in member countries of the European Union and in the United Kingdom.
It is not unusual to encounter recall notices for raw meats and raw poultry in Europe due to the presence of Salmonella, shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or Listeria monocytogenes.
What is a consumer to do?
The CDC offers the following recommended practices to avoid becoming infected with Salmonella:
- Clean:
- Wash any bowls, utensils, and surfaces that touch raw ground beef with soap and water before using them to prepare other foods.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds after preparing raw ground beef and before touching other kitchen items.
- Separate:
- When shopping, separate raw ground beef from other foods in your shopping cart and grocery bags. Place packages of raw ground beef into individual plastic bags to avoid cross-contamination.
- Keep raw ground beef separate from foods that will not be cooked.
- Store raw ground beef in a container or sealed, leakproof bag on the lowest shelf in the fridge or freezer.
- Cook:
- Use a food thermometer to make sure you have cooked meat to a temperature high enough to kill germs. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F, and leftovers should be heated to an internal temperature of 165°
- Do not eat raw or undercooked ground beef.
- Chill:
- Raw ground beef that has been refrigerated should be used or frozen within 1 or 2 days.
- Refrigerate or freeze ground beef within 2 hours of cooking. If the food is exposed to temperatures hotter than 90°F, like a hot car or picnic, refrigerate or freeze within 1 hour.
- Freeze any meat that will not be used within a few days. Although freezing can help keep ground beef safe until you can cook it, it does not kill existing harmful germs.
- Thaw frozen ground beef in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
- Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these severe Salmonella symptoms:
- Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
- Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
- Bloody diarrhea
- So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
- Signs of dehydration, such as:
- Not peeing much
- Dry mouth and throat
- Feeling dizzy when standing up
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