Ground beef recall includes Valley stores

By Staff Report

WASILLA — Fred Meyer announced today it is recalling some of the ground beef sold at its stores, including those in Alaska, citing the potential for E. coli contamination.

Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer, said consumers should check their freezers for three kinds of beef:

• Ground beef sold in a Styrofoam tray with a sell-by date ranging from May 21 to July 5.

• Ground beef bought from a service counter and handed over by a store employee with that same May 21 to July 5 sell-by date range.

• Ground beef that came in what Merrill called a “brick” — a vacuum-packed, 16-ounce package marked “Private Selection” with sell-by dates between May 21 and July 5.

“If you’ve already opened it and you don’t have the package and you don’t know, get rid of it, don’t take any chances,” Merrill said.

The recall does not apply to beef sold in plastic tubes or to frozen beef patties.

Beef that is part of the recall can be returned to Fred Meyer stores for a refund or replacement. The Kroger Co. Web site warns the beef should not be eaten as it poses a health risk, especially to those with weakened immune systems. Grocery giant Kroger is the parent company of Fred Meyer.

According to the Web site, the recall was initiated after the grocer was notified that beef from its supplier, Nebraska Beef, had been pinpointed as the cause of E. coli outbreaks in Michigan and Ohio in late May and early June.

Merrill said there haven’t been any outbreaks outside of Michigan or Ohio, but Kroger thought it best to play it safe.

“The safest thing to do right now was to pull all beef from that supplier,” Merrill said. “All indications are that none of the beef that actually caused the illnesses made it out to the Pacific Northwest at all.”

She said all the affected beef was pulled from shelves Tuesday night and stores put up signage. Everything sold in the stores should now be safe. The grocery chain is also making new ground beef purchases to fill in the gaps and ensure a supply of safe beef, she said.