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Maybe hold off on that hamburger: Beef and tomatoes have been recalled this week. Not to mention water.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for Organic Rancher ground beef with best-before dates of June 19-20, marked “EST.4027.” Technically it’s not a recall because the product is no longer on shelves, but it was distributed to Whole Foods (AMZN-2.87%) stores across the country. The beef may be contaminated with E.coli, and FSIS advised anyone who still has it in their fridge or freezer to discard it.
Meanwhile, a voluntary recall for tomatoes from Williams Farms of Georgia and the Carolinas that was issued in early May due to salmonella now has been upgraded to a Class 1 recall, meaning the product could “cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” The tomatoes were distributed the week of April 23.
If you bought Topo Chico (KO-0.01%) Mineral Waters from a Costco store in Texas or Louisiana the week of May 20, in 18-packs of 16.9-ounce bottles, they might be infected with pseudomonas, a bacteria that’s found naturally in water sources and is unlikely to cause harm to anyone with a healthy immune systems. But customers are nonetheless urged to return the bottles for a full refund or exchange.
FSIS reports this week that more than 6,000 lb. of pork lard and beef tallow products from Sulu Organics of Illinois “were produced without the benefit of federal inspection.”
Finally, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX-1.10%) issued a nationwide recall this week for sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim tablets, used for urinary tract infections, due to microbial contamination that could result in serious and life-threatening conditions. The tablets were sold between December 4 and May 15.
In February, FSIS said that despite hiring freezes in most federal departments, its frontline inspection roles are considered public safety positions and would not be affected by layoffs. In March, Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cut 3,500 positions at the FDA.