The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a recall of more than 60,000 pounds of ground beef because of possible E. coli contamination. The recalled meat was produced by the Kansas-based National Beef Packing Company and shipped to stores nationwide.

According to a report by The Examiner, the recall affects meat sold at Kroger, Publix Super Markets, and Winn-Dixie Stores in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.

People infected with E. coli can experience diarrhea and abdominal cramps. It can also lead to a type of kidney failure that is most common in children under five and the elderly. Signs include fever, pale skin tone, fatigue, irritability, small bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, decreased urination and swelling of the face, hands, feet, or body.

The recall includes boxes of meat with the following number inside the USDA mark of inspection: Est. 262. Below are the various packaging identifiers provided by the USDA, however, the recalled meat may have been repackaged and sold under different retail brand names. .

Ground beef labeled “National Beef 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck,” with a freeze by date of Aug. 12, 2011
*Boxes of six 10-pound chubs with product code 483.
*Boxes of eight 5-pound chubs with product code 684.
*Boxes of 12 3-pound chubs with product code 782 or 785.
*Boxes of six 10-pound chubs with product code 787.

Ten-pound chubs of ground beef with a freeze by date of Aug. 14, 2011
*Boxes of eight chubs of “National Beef 81/19 Fine Ground Beef,” with product code 431.
*Boxes of eight chubs of “National Beef 90/10 Fine Ground Beef,” with product code 471.
*Boxes of six chubs of “National Beef 86/14 Fine Ground Round,” with product code 494.

The problem was discovered during routine microbial testing by the Ohio Department of Agriculture at a facility in that state that had purchased these products for further processing.

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