This week’s food safety infosheet (pdf) from the International Food Safety Network focuses on what we learned this week – that ground beef is once again the source of a multi-state E. coli outbreak.  At least five people in Wisconsin and one California resident became ill with E. coli infections after consuming meat produced by Rochester Meats of Michigan.  According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s recall announcement from last weekend:

The problem was discovered through an investigation initiated by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and the California Department of Public Health into five illnesses in Wisconsin and one illness in California. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

The ground beef products subject to recall were produced on Oct. 30, 2007, and Nov. 6, 2007. The products subject to recall were shipped to distributors nationwide for further distribution to restaurants and food service institutions. These products were not available for purchase by consumers in retail establishments.