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http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/2009/12/articles/foodborne-illness-outbreaks/national-steak-and-poultry-e-coli-outbreak/

 National Steak and Poultry E coli Outbreak
Posted on December 26, 2009 by Drew Falkenstein

E. coli O157:H7 strikes again, this time stealing some of Santa's thunder and delivering a pile of bad news (for the meat industry, the consumer, everybody) on Christmas Eve.  The outbreak linked to National Steak and Poultry, an Oklahoma-based purveyor of pre-portioned beef products, has sickened people in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, South Dakota, and Washington.  I havent' yet seen reference to how many are thought to have been sickened in the outbreak, but a listing of six states stretching from the eastern time zone all the way to the west coast portends some bad news on that front.
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(See article in next post for the six states and the website)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BP1AA20091226

Oklahoma firm recalling beef products in six states
CHICAGO
Sat Dec 26, 2009 12:31pm EST

CHICAGO (Reuters) - An Oklahoma company said it was voluntarily recalling 248,000 lbs (112,000 kg) of beef products in six states following an outbreak of illnesses involving E. coli bacteria.

U.S.  |  Health

In a recorded telephone message, National Steak and Poultry of Owasso, Oklahoma, said it was recalling various products in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Michigan, and Washington state.

The company said it was cooperating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service as a precautionary measure because some of its beef products might be linked to a series of E. coli-linked illnesses in the six states.

The company did not confirm any contaminations at its production facilities, but said it "will err on the side of being cautious" by recalling the products.

"This is the first recall in our company's nearly 30-year history," the firm said in its recorded message on a consumer hotline.

On its website (www.nationalsteak.com/), National Steak and Poultry describes itself as "beef and poultry marination innovators since 1980," offering fully cooked and fresh frozen beef and poultry.

(Reporting by Jim Marshall; Editing by Eric Beech)