Ground Beef Recall: Cargill Meat Recalled After 33 Sick in Northeast

Cargill announced a ground beef recall of 29,339 pounds of meat in response to a seven-state salmonella outbreak. So far, 33 people have reportedly been sickened by eating the tainted meat.

The affected ground beef include packages of 85-percent lean ground beef that was produced on May 25, 2012. Officials warn customers to be aware of "use or sell by" dates between May 29 and June 16.

The beef was sold under different retail brand names at stores in the Northeast U.S. at the end of May and in early June, reports CBS. The products are no longer sold in stores given that the used-by-date has passed, but they may still be frozen in customers' homes.

So far, it appears that most of the beef was sold at the Hannaford Supermarkets chain located in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. These are also the states where most of the salmonella outbreaks have been reported. Cargill said it's contacting retailers to make certain they know which ground beef products are affected as the list of affected stores and locations could grow.

In the meantime, this ground beef recall is the second mass recall of meat by Cargill in as many years. Last year, the company recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey for a similar salmonella outbreak that sickened 107 people and killed one, reports CBS.

If you have been injured by eating tainted ground beef, you may want to talk to a product liability attorney to learn your rights. Cargill's ground beef recall is just its latest problem with tainted meat, and you may be entitled to compensation for any sloppy or dirty handling of the meat.

Related Resources:

• Cargill recalls US ground beef after salmonella outbreak (Reuters)
• Your Right to Recall Remedies (FindLaw)
• Cargill Turkey Recall Highlights US Regulatory Problems (FindLaw's Common Law)