King Soopers Salmonella Outbreak - Colorado
King Soopers, Inc. of Denver, Colorado, recalled approximately 466,236 pounds of ground beef products for Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 contamination on July 22, 2009. The ground beef recall was initiated after the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined the ground beef products to be the source of a Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 outbreak among Colorado residents.
According to a press release issued by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), at least 14 people in Colorado were confirmed ill with Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 infection after consuming Salmonella-contaminated ground beef products produced by King Soopers. This particular strain of Salmonella is resistant to drugs commonly prescribed for Salmonella infection, and presents a challenge to physicians treating patients with Salmonella Typhimurium DT104; hospitalization is more common among individuals who become ill with antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella.
In its press release, FSIS announced that the Salmonella-contaminated ground beef products include ground beef chub, tray packs, and hamburger patties. Sell-by dates for those products range from May 31, 2009 and June 23, 2009. The products were distributed to supermarkets and other retail establishments in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, and although they are no longer available for sale consumers who may have purchased King Soopers ground beef products could have the Salmonella-contaminated product in their freezers. Those products should be discarded or destroyed.
FSIS lists all recalled products in its Salmonella recall notification.