CDC Posts Food Safety Alert Following E. coli Outbreak Linked to Ground Beef and Over 160,000 Pounds of Meat Recalled

In late April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new Food Safety Alert. Ultimately 209 people from 10 states were infected with an outbreak strain of E. coli O103. Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicated that ground beef was likely the source of the outbreak.

Several days prior to the CDC alert, two separate companies announced large scale recalls of raw ground beef products. According to information posted by the CDC, a food company in Georgia recalled over 113,000 pounds of raw ground beef products and another business in Illinois recalled more than 53,000 pounds. Both announced the raw ground beef products may be contaminated with the bacteria. Products from these businesses were sold to restaurants and institutions.

Even with these two recalls in place, the CDC reported at the time of the Food Safety Alert that no common supplier, distributor or brand of ground beef had been identified that could account for the whole outbreak and that other products may be recalled.

The scientists at MPL Laboratories work with food producers and manufacturers, distributors, retailers and importers to identify E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and other microbial sources of contamination. Testing of products, along with surface and environmental testing, can be instrumental for evaluating ingredients, finished goods, and cleaning and disinfection procedures at food processing and handling facilities.

In the event that a contaminated product has already caused an outbreak, rapid testing methods offered by MPL and their network of laboratories that are part of EMSL Analytical, Inc. can facilitate the process of quickly pinpointing its source to prevent further product contamination and illnesses. This type of testing not only protects the consumer from exposure risks, it is also vital to prevent costly product recalls, damaging public relations and the expensive legal fees that are frequently associated with these types of events.

To learn more about this or other food, supplement, cosmetic, personal care product or pharmaceutical testing services provided by MPL Laboratories, please visit www.MPLLaboratories.com, call (800) 548-1874 or email  info@MPLLaboratories.com .


About MPL Laboratories
MPL Laboratories (formerly Marypaul Laboratories) was founded in 1985 as a full service microbiology laboratory. It is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by PJLA, FDA and DEA registered, and NJDEP certified. MPL’s staff includes a PhD Diplomat of the American Board of Toxicology, M.S. and B.S. degreed microbiologists, and other dedicated scientists. The microbiology testing laboratory serves the pharmaceutical, medical device, cosmetic, personal care and food industries. MPL aims to provide its clients with high quality, reliable test data in a timely manner. The laboratory is part of the EMSL Analytical network of over 40 laboratories across the United States and Canada.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

MPL Laboratories

(1) 856-303-2503

Contact via E-mail