Oklahoma firm recalls beef

By David Liu

National Steak and Poultry, a meat processor based out of Owasso, Okla. is recalling about 248,000 pounds of beef due to potential contamination with E. coli O157:H7, the federal government announced on Dec 21.

The recall came after the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and state health agencies found an association between non-intact steaks and e. coli outbreaks in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, South Dakota and Washington.

E coli O157:H7 is a potential lethal bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and in severe cases kidney failure.   At higher risk are particularly those who are very young, seniors and people with their immunity compromised such as persons like cancer and HIV patients.

The FSIS recommends that ground beef or ground beef patties should be cooked to a temperature high enough to kill the E coli bacterium.