A Georgia-based meat producer has issued a recall for over 100,000 pounds of ground beef that are believed to be contaminated with E. coli. K2D Foods, who does business as Colorado Premium Foods is issuing the recall for 113,424 pounds of meat that may contain the same strain of E. coli that are believed to be part of the same outbreak that has already spread to 10 states. Representatives for Colorado Premium Foods did not immediately return Red Tricycle’s request for comment.

In addition to the recall, the CDC has also issued a Food Safety Alert advising consumers and restaurants to stay clear of recalled products. The warning also reminds everyone about how to prepare food safety to avoid contamination. Keep reading to see what beef products are included in this round.

photos: USDA

Recall Product Description: Ground Beef

The recall includes products sold as two 24-lb. vacuum-packed packages in cardboard boxes with “GROUND BEEF PUCK” and “Use Thru” dates of 4/14/19, 4/17/19, 4/20/19, 4/23/19, 4/28/19, and 4/30/19.  The product has an establishment number “EST. 51308” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the boxes. These products were shipped to distributors in Ft. Orange, Fla. and Norcross, Ga. Recalled products were produced on March 26, March 29, April 2, April 5, April 10, and April 12, 2019.

Why It Was Recalled 

The FDA issued the recall because of potential E. coli contamination that has sickened over 177 people so far, with 21 people needing to be hospitalized. No deaths have been reported as of now. Affected states include Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Virginia.

How to Tell if Your Ground Beef Is Part of the Recall 

Check the use through dates and establishment numbers on your products before cooking and consuming. At this time, no single supplier, distributor or brand of beef has been officially connected to the outbreak.

What Parents Can Do 

If you have any affected products, either throw them away or return to the place of purchase. Parents can also contact Ashley Barnes at Colorado Premium Foods at (970) 313-4400 with any questions.

 

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Pexels

 

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Over 100 people across the country have been sickened by an E. coli outbreak that has baffled experts at the Centers for Disease Control. Now it finally has a source: ground beef.

The CDC has issued an update on the E.coli outbreak in six states and believes that ground beef is likely to blame. Unfortunately the agency has not been able to pin point a specific brand or supplier where the affected beef is coming from so it has not issued any recalls yet. Since consumers have reported getting sick after eating ground beef both at home and restaurants it makes it more difficult to determine the source.

So far the states affected by the outbreak include Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. This is the third largest multi-state E. Coli outbreak in the past 20 years.

For the time being the CDC is not making an official recommendation to stop eating ground beef, however it is urging people to take food safety precautions when cooking and eating. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. You should keep raw meat separate from other foods and make sure to clean any utensils, cutting boards or other surfaces that raw meat comes in contact with, as well as washing your hands.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Angele J via Pexels

 

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If you’re like most Americans, your cell phone is your constant companion. You use it while lounging on the couch, at the office, maybe even stopped at red lights and yes, even in the bathroom (c’mon, we all do it!).

According to a University of Arizona study, all that action means your smartphone has hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than that toilet seat you’ve been sitting on—and why it’s imperative you should know how to clean your smartphone.

So why exactly are our phones such a cesspool for germs and bacteria? Modern society has us touching everything: doorknobs, light switches, self-checkout machines and ATMs—not to mention changing dirty diapers and the general shenanigans that motherhood has us handling. Every time you come into contact with an unclean item and then going back to answer that text, you’re transferring germs right onto your phone and then back to your hands, face and ears. Can you say gross!?

A 2011 study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that fecal matter can be found on 1 out of every 6 smartphones and even more studies have found that MRSA, E. coli and Streptococcus––serious pathogens––have also been linked to cell phones. Okay, so now that we’ve established how nasty our smartphones really are, here’s how you should clean yours.

photo: Aniket Bhattacharya via Unsplash

First, you’ll want to check your phone manufacturer because each maker has different recommendations when it comes to cleaning and coming into contact with moisture. You can find some suggestions for AppleMotorola and the Google Pixel by visiting their websites.

Then, keep this list of the following products on hand to keep your smartphone germ-free:

  1. Microfiber cloth
  2. Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
  3. Water
  4. Cotton rounds
  5. Cleaning gloves

If you have a waterproof or water-resistant phone, you can make your own cleaning solution with rubbing alcohol and distilled water inside a spray bottle. While wearing gloves or using just-washed hands, lightly spray the outside of your phone, wipe with a cotton round and allow to dry.

For non-waterproof phones, you can use disinfecting wipes and carefully use them to wipe down both the screen and back of your phone.

When it comes to how many times per day you should be cleaning your phone, we’ll leave that up to you. After all, only you know how many trips to the ATM (and the restroom) you’re making on the daily.

 

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You can never have too many wet wipes or Purell when traveling with kids. Now, thanks to a robot (yes, seriously) you can have one less thing to worry about on your next family vacation. Meet the CleanseBot, which zaps bacteria in hotel rooms so you can stop saying “don’t touch that” 24/7.

Launched on IndieGoGo last year, the CleanseBot is a tiny, packable bot that sanitizes and disinfects surfaces, including the hotel bed. It is built with a UV-C light that promises to prevent the spread of airborne viruses and according to the campaign page, a study found that the pint-sized bot actually kills 99.99 percent of E.coli.

The CleanseBot, which can run for three hours without needing to be charged, has three different modes. The first is an auto setting which will clean the surface of the bed underneath the blanket for 30 to 60 minutes. The second mode is a hand-held setting that allows you to clean smaller items, like the alarm clock or TV remote. The third mode turns CleanseBot into a portable charger allowing you to charge your devices using the USB-C port.

IndieGoGo backers can currently score this amazing little robot for $99. It is still in the prototype phase, but it is scheduled to deliver in April 2019. The original price is set at $259, which means the CleanseBot will likely jump to that cost when the product actually launches, so act fast if you want to score a deal.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: CleanseBot via YouTube

 

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Salad-lovers rejoice: according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the answer to the question, “Is romaine lettuce safe to eat?” is finally yes. Go ahead and grab a head from your local grocer’s shelf—minus the fear of getting a major bacterial infection.

The CDC issued a country-wide recall of romaine lettuce from Oct. 7 to Dec. 4, 2018 following an E. coli outbreak that included 62 illnesses with 25 hospitalizations. On Jan. 9, 2019 the CDC issued a statement letting us all know that, “This outbreak appears to be over.”

Photo: Liz Muir via Flickr

After an investigation of the outbreak, the CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified the sources of the E. coli outbreak inside an agricultural reservoir at Adams Bros. Farming Inc. Farm in Santa Barbara, California.

Contaminated lettuce products were pulled from store shelves, thrown out of restaurants and removed by consumers from their homes. So unless you happened to freeze some fairly old lettuce (which really isn’t recommended), eating romaine is safe once more.

Even though the recall is officially over, you should always make sure to thoroughly wash and dry all fruits and vegetables before eating them to reduce your risk of contracting food-borne illnesses.

—Erica Loop

 

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After last week’s major recall on romaine lettuce, plenty of us have been wondering, “Is romaine lettuce safe to eat?” As it turns out, yes—but only under very limited circumstances, as noted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

Following an E. coli outbreak that was linked to contaminated romaine, the CDC and FDA cautioned everyone to stay away from the popular leafy green. So if the lettuce shelves at your local grocer look bare, that’s why. You may have also noticed that any restaurant—from the finest foodie establishments to fast food chains—carrying salads, sandwiches or other romaine-containing products put a hold on selling those lettuce-centric items.

Photo: Keiko Zoll

Following the Nov. 20 update, 11 more cases of romaine-related E. coli were reported. This includes 43 cases across 12 state. Without a specific source, the CDC and FDA had n choice but to tell everyone to avoid all romaine. But now their investigation has narrowed down the contamination to lettuce from northern and central California.

Even though these agencies now have a general idea as to where the romaine originated, they are yet to find a precise grower or distributor. According to the CDC’s website, “If you do not know where the romaine is from, do not eat it.”

Some romaine is currently labeled with the harvest growing region, but this doesn’t apply to all romaine or products containing romaine. If you can’t find a label, there is no label or the label indicates that the lettuce is from the Central Coastal growing region of California, do NOT eat it.

The CDC and FDA’s current announcement that some lettuce is safe to eat does not apply to all romaine. Caution is absolutely necessary until the investigation pinpoints the exact source of the E. coli contamination.

—Erica Loop

 

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Most grocery stores offer sanitizing wipes as an option to wipe down your cart before starting your grocery shopping. I really do appreciate the opportunity to decontaminate my shopping cart, especially with cold and flu season in the air. After all, I have read that shopping carts are one of the germiest things we touch in public… When you think about it, diaper-aged kiddos sit in the cart… Add in any kind of meat juices, plus any germs from the previous cart pusher…. YEEESH.

Shopping Cart Study

In 2012, University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, PhD, sometimes called “Dr. Germ” conducted a study on total numbers of bacteria on grocery shopping cart handles and seats. The results of this study found the shopping cart seats and handles to be bacteria-laden, and suggested the need for improved sanitation of shopping cards/baskets.

This study was conducted 5 years ago. After 5 years of wiping down shopping carts, and many parents using blankets/cloth seat protectors for their kids, I wondered if shopping cart conditions have improved. And truthfully, I really dislike using those wipes. I don’t like getting my hands all wet, and it seems to take forever for the cleaning solution to dry on the handle.

So, I decided to bring my own agar plates and sterile cotton swabs to the grocery store, and test out the handles of shopping carts myself (I did not test the seats).

Background: How I Grew Bacteria at Home

Agar Plates and Growing Bacteria

I purchased some luria broth agar plates (thank you, Amazon – they truly sell everything!), which are used to grow environmental bacteria, including E. coli. Other types of agar plates are used to grow pathogenic bacteria- I did not want to grow any of those in our home! I should also note here that only bacteria can be grown on agar plates – no viruses.

Incubator

When it was time to grow the bacteria, I placed the agar plates in an upside-down position in a homemade incubator with a temperature between 85 and 100 degrees F. For the homemade incubator, I used a plastic bin, a thermometer, and a heating light bulb as a heat source.

After 1-2 days in the incubator, I watched for the appearance of small bacterial colonies (usually white or yellow dots) on the surface of the agar plates. You need millions of bacteria in one spot just to see one dot on the agar plate.

My Shopping Cart Sampling Method

I went to two different Meijer stores, and sampled 4 different carts on 4 separate shopping trips. Meijer stores have Purell sanitizing wipes available for use next to the shopping cart corral, so I used Purell sanitizing wipes in this experiment..

So that my results would be fair, my comparison of wiped/unwiped cart handles were performed on the same cart – I used a Purell wipe on 1/2 of the shopping cart handle, and left the other 1/2 untreated. I scrubbed 1/2 of each cart handle thoroughly with the Purell wipe, and waited until it was dry before using my sterile cotton swab to test the surface of the handle, and then applied the swab to my agar plate. I left the other half of the handle untreated, and carefully swabbed the untreated 1/2 as well. Then, I put the plates in an incubator for 1-2 days to grow bacteria.

Shopping Cart Handle Results

I was surprised to find that overall, the shopping cart handles were pretty clean!

My results from 4 different shopping trips provided 7 total colonies of bacteria (not very much at all!) from unsanitized shopping cart handles vs. 1 colony from handles treated with Purell. For comparison purposes, we grew hundreds of bacterial colonies when I tested my kids’ dirty hands after playing outside. And on one sampling day, I was unable to grow any bacteria from the shopping cart handle – sanitized or not – it had been raining for about 24 hours, and I wonder if the rain helped to make this cart extra clean (my cart was dry when I got it, but it could have been rinsed off with rain and already dried).

Conclusion

So, should I use the sanitizing wipes? Sure. They do a good job of killing most bacteria. I was only able to grow 1 colony of bacteria from all 4 of my sanitizing wipe samples. Also, remember that I only focused on bacteria – the ingredients in Purell wipes are also effective in killing certain viruses.

But do I have to? If you are like me, and don’t really love the wipes, I think it’s okay to skip them. In lieu of the wipes,  I use hand sanitizer when I get into my car after a grocery trip. And, as soon as I get home but before I put my groceries away, I always wash my hands with soap and water.

The best solution for your cart-riding child? I would never take any risks with a baby/small child. I would not use the sanitizing wipes and assume that your child is safe from all bacteria and viruses. Instead, make sure that they do not touch the shopping cart handle at all – ensure that the area that your baby rides in is covered with a blanket or shopping cart cover. Even years ago, I always used a cloth grocery cart cover when shopping with my kids, and washed it when we returned home from a shopping trip. Totally worth it!

Featured Photo Courtesy: Wendell

Nadia North is a science teacher, mom, wife, and blogger. She writes about her fun and easy science experiments (plus other cool stuff that intersts her- like yummy food and home projects) at Adventures in Wonderlab. She enjoys drinking (too much) coffee, running (off the crazy), and hanging out with her awesome family!

General Mills has expanded it’s recall of flour due to four new confirmed illnesses. The recall, originally announced on May 31, 2016, was due to a possible E. coli O121 contamination. At that time, 38 occurrences of illness related to strain O121 were reported, with approximately half of the individuals claiming to have made something homemade with flour. Some reported using a General Mills brand of flour. According to the information shared with General Mills, it’s possible ill consumers may have also consumed raw dough or batter.

At the moment, the General Mills products recalled include:

  • 13.5 ounce Gold Medal Wondra, Package UPC 000-16000-18980, Recalled Better if Used by Dates
    14MAY2017PK
  • 2lb Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, Package UPC 000-16000-10710, Recalled Better if Used by Dates
    18JUN2017KC, 01AUG2017KC, 13AUG2017KC through 21AUG2017KC
  • 10lb Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, Package UPC 000-16000-10410, Recalled Better if Used by Dates
    18JUN2017KC, 01AUG2017KC
  • 5lb Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, Package UPC000-16000-10610, Recalled Better if Used by Dates
    18JUN2017KC, 01AUG2017KC, 13AUG2017KC through 21AUG2017KC
  • 5lb Gold Medal Self Rising Flour, Package UPC 000-16000-11610, Recalled Better if Used by Dates
    27OCT2016KC
  • 4.25lb Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, Package UPC 000-16000-12670, Recalled Better if Used by Dates
    01AUG2017KC, 19AUG2017KC, 20AUG2017KC, 21AUG2017KC
  • 5lb Gold Medal Unbleached Flour, Package UPC000-16000-19610, Recalled Better if Used by Dates
    01AUG2017KC, 14AUG2017KC, 15AUG2017KC, 16AUG2017KC, 17AUG2017KC, 19AUG2017KC, 20AUG2017KC
  • 2lb Signature Kitchens All Purpose Flour Enriched Bleached, Package UPC 000-21130-53000, Recalled Better if Used by Dates BB 15 AUG 2017, BB 16 AUG 2017
  • 5lb Signature Kitchens Unbleached Flour All Purpose Enriched, Package UPC 000-21130-53022, Recalled Better if Used by Dates BB 01 AUG 2017

Consumers are reminded not to eat uncooked dough or batter made with raw flour. If you have any of the products listed above, they should not be used and discarded. For any questions or additional information, please visit the General Mills website or you can also call it at 1-800-230-8103

 

General Mills has voluntarily recalled 10 million pounds of flour due to a possible E. coli O121 contamination. To date, E. coli O121 has not been found in any General Mills flour products or in the flour manufacturing facility. However, 38 occurrences of illness related to strain O121 have been reported, with approximately half of the individuals claiming to have made something homemade with flour. Some reported using a General Mills brand of flour. According to the information shared with General Mills, it’s possible ill consumers may have also consumed raw dough or batter.

At the moment, the General Mills products being recalled include:

  • 13.5-ounce Gold Medal Wondra; package UPC 000-16000-18980; recalled better-if-used-by dates 25FEB2017 through 30MAR2017
  • 2-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour; package UPC 000-16000-10710; recalled better-if-used-by dates 25MAY2017KC through 03JUN2017KC
  • 5-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour; package UPC 000-16000-10610; recalled better-if-used-by dates 25MAY2017KC, 27MAY2017KC through 31MAY2017KC, 01JUN2017KC, 03JUN2017KC through 05JUN2017KC, 11JUN2017KC through 14JUN2017KC
  • 10-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour; package UPC 000-16000-10410; recalled better-if-used-by dates 02JUN2017KC, 03JUN2017KC
  • 10-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, banded pack; package UPC 000-16000-10410; recalled better-if-used-by dates 03JUN2017KC, 04JUN2017KC, 05JUN2017KC
  • 5-pound Gold Medal Unbleached Flour; package UPC 000-16000-19610; recalled better-if-used-by dates 25MAY2017KC, 27MAY2017KC, 03JUN2017KC, 04JUN2017KC
  • 5-pound Signature Kitchens All Purpose Flour Enriched Bleached; package UPC 000-21130-53001; recalled better-if-used-by date BB MAY 28 2017 (Sold at
  • 5-pound Signature Kitchens Unbleached Flour All Purpose Enriched; package UPC 000-21130-53022; recalled better-if-used-by date BB MAY 27 2017
  • 2-pound Gold Medal Self-rising Flour; package UPC 000-16000-11710; recalled better-if-used-by date 23AUG2016KC

If you have any of the products listed above, they should not be used and discarded. For any questions or additional information, please visit the General Mills website or you can also call it at 1-800-230-8103