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Beef recall expanded amid E.coli fears

LOS ANGELES—A meat supplier expanded a voluntary recall of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E.coli.

United Food Group LLC said in a statement Wednesday it expanded the recall of 75,000 pounds of ground beef to include an additional 370,000 pounds based on "unspecified concerns" raised by the California State Department of Health Services.

The recalled products were shipped to grocery stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. They were sold under brand names Moran's All Natural, Miller Meat Company, Stater Bros., Inter-American Products, Inc., and Basha's.

The grocery stores affected included Albertson's, Basha's, Grocery Outlet, Fry's, "R" Ranch Markets, Save-A-Lot, Save-Mart, Scolari's Wholesale Markets, Smart and Final, Smith's, Stater Bros., and Superior Warehouse.

"Our company's paramount concern is for the safety and health of consumers who have purchased our products, and we have been working closely with the USDA and the California Department of Health Services to ensure that this additional recall is completed successfully," said Todd Waldman, senior vice president for United Food Group.

The products had sell-by dates from April 29-May 6, and product labels carried the establishment number "EST. 1241" inside the USDA mark of inspection or printed on the package.

The products in the expanded recall were produced on April 13 at the company's Vernon facility, while those in the original were produced on April 20.

Symptoms of E. coli include stomach cramps that may be severe and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days. E. coli sometimes can lead to complications including kidney failure.

Customers with questions about the recall can call United Food Group's hot line at 1-800-325-4164. Those with recalled products should either throw the product away or return to point of purchase for a refund.
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On the Net: USDA food safety site: http://www.fsis.usda.gov