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E. coli recall leads to company closure
"In one week we have gone from the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers to a company that cannot overcome the economic reality of a recall this large," said Topps chief operating officer Anthony D'Urso. By Jennifer Bremer Nearly 21.7 million pounds of frozen hamburger has been recalled by New Jersey-based Topps Meat Co., which has also decided to close its doors. The recall, which has now become the second largest in history, began on Sept. 25 and has affected frozen hamburger patties and ground beef contaminated with the E. coli bacteria strain 0157:H7. This E. coli investigation began with an illness that was reported by a consumer in Florida. When it was determined the illness was caused by E. coli from a Topps hamburger patty, U.S. Department of Agriculture field investigators collected leftover product from the consumer's freezer, according to David Goldman, assistant administrator for USDA's office of public health science. "The product was sent to our regulatory lab in Athens, Ga. and on Sept. 7, our agency reported out a positive E. coli test result from the leftover product," he said. "At that point we were not able to take recall action based on this initial test because there are often many strains of E. coli that can contaminate products." The E. coli testing process can take several days to complete. Several other tests were taken from samples directly from the Topps plant, which came back negative, but since the original test had been linked from the hamburger to the patient as the source, USDA officials continued to investigate. On Sept. 20, Food Safety and Inspection Service officials learned of two additional illnesses in New York state. "At that point, we were told that the illnesses were associated with Topps product. FSIS was advised on that date that the tests were not completed yet," said Goldman. "These illnesses were connected to the product, but it was a different strain than the Florida case." New York state officials contacted FSIS on Sept. 24 that they had tested an unopened box of hamburger patties obtained in a supermarket and the box tested positive for E. coli 0157:H7. The following morning, FSIS reconvened its recall committee and the recall was issued. "Since Sept. 25, in addition to managing the recall, our scientists and recall committee members have been reviewing the data related to this recall, as well as our own protocols, to determine how we might improve the way we conduct these recalls in the future," he said. The recall led to the Oct. 5 announcement that Topps Meat Co. will be closing. Thirty people in eight states have had E. coli infections matching the strain found in the Topps patties, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. "In one week we have gone from the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers to a company that cannot overcome the economic reality of a recall this large," Topps chief operating officer Anthony D'Urso said in a statement. "We sincerely regret the impact this will have on our employees, our customers and suppliers, and the community." The states affected by the E. coli outbreak, according to the CDC, are Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The CDC reports the first illness was on July 5 and the last on Sept. 11. Among the 15 ill people, 10 were hospitalized. According to the USDA, E. coli poisoning is especially hard on children and the elderly and can cause severe kidney damage. Goldman reminded consumers to continue to look for this product in their freezers. The list of recalled meat can be found at www.fsis.usda.gov. "I also want to remind all consumers that they should always engage in safe cooking practices in their households and cook to a safe temperature by a thermometer to 160 degrees for ground beef," Goldman concluded. Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 515-833-2120 or by e-mail at jbremermaj@hotmail.com. Date: 10/11/07
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