Federal and state investigation of an E. coli outbreak led to ground beef in some HelloFresh meal kits, which in turn led to Saturday's USDA public health alert about the ground beef.
As the kits from the home meal delivery company are no longer for sale, there is no recall. But the kits might be in HelloFresh customers' freezers.
The 85% lean ground beef has codes "EST#46481 L1 22 155" or "EST#46481 L5 22 155" on the packaging. Inside the USDA inspection stamp are "EST.46841."
The E. coli involved is O157:H7, the kind most likely to cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the kidney failure that can put a fatal edge on E. coli infections. According to the CDC, most E. coli infections last five to seven days, involve light fever, hard stomachaches, vomiting and diarrhea that often includes blood.
"Traceback information identified that multiple case-patients received ground beef produced at establishment M46841 and distributed by HelloFresh in meal kits from July 2-21, 2022," the USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service alert said. "Traceback of materials used to produce the ground beef is ongoing and FSIS continues to work with suppliers and public health partners on the investigation."
HelloFresh customers with questions about the public health alert can email hello@hellofresh.com.
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