WASHINGTON – Approximately 3,400 lbs of boneless beef was recalled by Harper, Kan.-based Elkhorn Valley Packing over concerns that the company’s beef chuck products may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O103, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said on March 24. The issue was discovered after FSIS confirmed that samples of ground beef derived from the products tested positive for the pathogen. No reports of adverse reactions have been reported as a result of consumption of the suspected products, listed here.  

The products, which were shipped to federal establishments, retail operations, wholesalers and distributors, are labeled with establishment number “EST. M-19549” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were thought to have been shipped to nine states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  

Additionally, on March 23, FSIS also announced the recall of 1,455 lbs of smoked baby rope sausage by Kelley Foods, Elba, Ala., a subsidiary of Ben E. Keith.

The company said the fully cooked products, which were produced on Jan. 10, 2023, contain milk, a known allergen that was not declared on the label. The recalled sausage includes 12-oz packages of Kelley Naturally Hardwood Smoked Jalapeño Pepper Baby Rope Sausage with the code: 2705493011 and a use- or freeze-by date of May 11, 2023.

One of the company’s retail customers notified FSIS officials that the products contained cheese, which wasn’t listed on the label. The company confirmed it was, indeed, mislabeled. No adverse reactions related to the consumption of the sausage have been reported.