Approximately 167,000 pounds of both fresh and frozen ground beef products have been recalled by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service over potential E. coli contamination.
The potential contamination was first spotted by the Minnesota Departments of Agriculture and Health after it determined there was a link between a recent spate of food-borne illnesses and meat from Wolverine Packing Company, a meat distribution company based in Detroit, according to the FSIS.
The federal agency said it was working with Minnesota officials to investigate the potential contamination, NBC News reports.
As of November 20, 15 people have been reported sick with symptoms that began appearing between November 2 and November 10.
On November 10, the FSIS issued a press release saying that Minnesota officials had tested a ground beef sample from Wolverine Packing and found it contained a strain of E. coli.
The FSIS then released a list of all affected products as well as images of their associated product labels. The fresh ground beef affected by the recall has "use by" dates of November 14, and the frozen products have a "use by" date of October 22, the agency said. All of the recall products include the number "EST 2574B" inside the USDA inspection mark.
The affected products have been shipped to restaurants around the country, which has caused some concern within the FSIS. The agency is reportedly "concerned that some product may be in restaurant refrigerators or freezers."
The agency is urging restaurants to check their stock and not to serve the the products. It has also issued a blanket reminder to consumers to make sure that they "safely prepare their raw meat products" by cooking all beef products to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71.11 C) to ensure any harmful bacteria is killed.
The E. coli strain found in the Wolverine Packing products is the same strain that was linked to onion McDonald's used in some Quarter Pounders in October.
The strain can cause bleeding in the intestines, bloody diarrhea, and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause damage to the kidney's blood vessels, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
