Associated Press
Friday, July 4, 2008

Nebraska Beef is expanding a recall announced earlier this week to include all 5.3 million pounds of meat it produced for ground beef between May 16 and June 26.

Federal investigators have linked Nebraska Beef's products to an outbreak of E. coli illnesses affecting 41 people in Michigan and Ohio. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said yesterday that Nebraska Beef's practices were insufficient to effectively control E. coli bacteria.

All the beef being recalled was sold to wholesalers and distributors, so consumer labels likely would not include the "EST 19336" code that identifies Nebraska Beef. The original recall covered beef sent to businesses in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. The company did not specify whether the 5.3 million pounds now being recalled went to any other states.

Some Nebraska Beef products were sold by the Kroger grocery chain, which has recalled ground beef products in more than 20 states.