Cook County Food Company Recalls Meat Products Due To Possible Contamination

Date: Thursday, March 19, 2015

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – El Cubano Wholesale Meats, a Chicago establishment, is recalling approximately 169,620 pounds of beef cheek meat products that may be contaminated with E.coli 0157:H7, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) announced today.

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number "EST. 4653a" inside the USDA mark of inspection and establishment name "Iowa Best Beef". These products were distributed by establishment "El Cubano" to retail stores and restaurants in Chicago, Illinois.

Labels of the above mentioned products have an instructional statement ";For Cooking Only", Product bearing the instructional or disclaimer statement can only be distributed to other official/inspected establishments that have an appropriate production process.  Such a disclaimer is an indication that the product has not been tested for E. coli O157:H7 and implies that E. coli O157:H7 may be a food safety hazard reasonably likely to occur in the product in the absence of controls. 

The problem was discovered by IDOA personnel during routine inspection.  IDOA is concerned that some product may be frozen in restaurants/retail store freezers.  Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider immediately.

IDOA routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the IDOA website.  IDOA advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 145° F or 160° F for ground meat. The only way to confirm that beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.

Media and consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact, El Cubano Wholesale Meats Plant Manager, at (312) 733 6084.