If you’re planning on firing up the grill this Memorial Day weekend, you may want to double check your fridge and pantry before you get a very un-festive surprise.
Several items have been recalled for reasons ranging from possible E. coli contamination to metal fragments.
Here are the recalled items:
Flour
The discount supermarket chain Aldi recalled 5-pound bags of its Baker’s Corner All-Purpose Flouron Thursday because they may be contaminated with E. coli.
Seventeen people have been reported sick in eight states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three of those people have been hospitalized. There have been no deaths.
Those who got sick ate, licked or tasted raw, homemade dough or batter. The CDC states that eating or tasting raw dough or batter can make a person sick.
The illnesses began December 11, 2018 and the latest began April 18, the CDC said.
The recalled flour was sold at Aldi locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.
Steak, ribs and brisket
The US Department of Agriculture issued a recall for more than 62,000 pounds of raw beef Wednesday due to E. coli concerns.
The meat was shipped nationwide for distribution, and the products being recalled have the establishment number “EST. 788” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The recall includes more than 40 products, most of which are cuts of steak, like ribeyes, as well as ribs and brisket cuts.
Read the full list of products being recalled.
People sometimes like to freeze cuts of meat for future use, so if you’ve socked away some beef in your backup freezer recently, you may want to check that as well.
The possible E. coli contamination was discovered after a random sampling, and the USDA says there have been no reported cases of illness related to this recall.
People usually get sick two to eight days after ingesting the germ, the CDC says. Symptoms of E.coli infections include stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Some infections are mild, but others can be life-threatening.
Hot dogs
This follows an earlier recall this month of more than 2,000 pounds of Vienna Beef hot dogs over concerns they may contain metal fragments.
In the latest recall, Chicago-style dogs were shipped to food service locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, according to the US Department of Agriculture. They were packaged in 10-pound cases of Skinless Beef Frankfurters with “EST. 1” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
Produced May 2, the potentially contaminated products have been identified by the USDA online.
The recall was limited to restaurants and had “nothing to do with grocery store product,” said Tom McGlade, vice president of marketing for the Chicago-based company.
So far, there have been no reports of a health problem caused by eating these products. Anyone concerned about a possible injury or illness should contact a health care provider.
