South Gate Meat Co. in South Gate, California, is recalling 35,000 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced yesterday. The agency is classifying it as a Class I recall, which represents a “high health risk.” The bulk ground beef and ground beef patties were shipped to Los Angeles-area restaurants. The potential contamination was discovered through FSIS microbiological testing; no illnesses have been reported. Turn the page for more specifics.

The products subject to recall include:

20-, 30- and 40-pound bulk packages of “SOUTH GATE MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF.”

30-, 40-, and 50-pound bulk packages of “SOUTH GATE MEAT CO. COARSE GROUND BEEF.”

10- and 20-pound packages of “SOUTH GATE MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTIES.”

Each package bears establishment number “EST. 6217” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The ground beef products were produced between the dates of June 7, 2010 and June 21, 2010.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure.

The FSIS recommends that individuals concerned about an illness contact a physician. If you have questions regarding the recall, you can call South Gate Co. at (323) 564-1701. Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday.

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