USDA Recalls 36M Pounds Of Ground Turkey After Salmonella Outbreak

ABC World News (8/3, story 7, 0:25, Sawyer) reported on “the latest nationwide salmonella outbreak,” which caused the USDA to recall “36 million pounds — 36 million — of Cargill ground turkey.”

        NBC Nightly News (8/3, story 8, 0:20, Williams) reported, “And we had early warning of this last night. Now it is an official government recall in this country. Thirty-six million pounds of Cargill ground turkey, some of it contaminated with salmonella, believed responsible for at least 76 illnesses nationwide and one death in the state of California.”

        The New York Times  (8/4, B3, Neuman, Subscription Publication) reports, “Cargill, a major United States meat processor, said Wednesday that it was recalling” the ground turkey produced since February in Springdale, Arkansas, where it was also suspending operations. The decision “appeared to be one of the largest meat recalls ever.” The CDC warned that the Salmonella Heidelberg strain of bacteria involved “is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics.”

        The Los Angeles Times  (8/4) reports that “so far, California, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Illinois and Pennsylvania have been among the states hardest hit,” and victims typically experience “diarrhea and abdominal pain.” For children, the illness can be fatal. The Times notes, however, that the government says “even contaminated ground turkey is safe to eat if it is handled properly and cooked to 165 degrees.”

        The AP  (8/4, Jalonick) reports that Cargill said the recall would involve both fresh and frozen ground turkey sold under various names but with the common code of “Est. P-963” on labels. The company “said it was initiating the recall after its own internal investigation, an Agriculture Department investigation and information about the illnesses released by the CDC this week.” The Los Angeles Times  (8/3, Khan) “Booster Shots” blog also covered the story.