Ground beef recall: 34,000 pounds of contaminated beef in six states

A California company is recalling approximately 34,373 pounds of organic ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, federal officials said Thursday.

First Class Foods Inc. of Hawthorne reports that each package label bears the establishment number "EST. 18895." The ground beef products were produced on Dec. 7 and Dec. 16 and were shipped to retail establishments in California, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Washington state.

The problem was discovered through company sampling which confirmed a positive result for E. coli O157:H7. The Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with these products.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and in the most severe cases kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

Inquiries regarding the recall should be directed to Lucienne Adams of First Class Foods at 310-676-2500.