Alaskan firm recalls ground beef for e. Coli

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- An Alaskan food processor, C&J Tender Meats, voluntarily has recalled 800 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with the e. Coli bacteria O157:H7 that can cause illness, U.S. food safety officials said.

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The ground beef was produced and packaged on July 18 and distributed for sale in Alaska. The recall was announced Monday night by the Agriculture Department after the problem was discovered during routine testing.

Consumers were urged to return any suspect ground beef to the store where it was purchased.

C&J, based in Anchorage, distributed the ground beef in one to two pound packages showing "Jul 18 00" as the packing date and carrying "EST. 20899" inside the U.S. inspection seal.

E. Coli 0157:H7 is a pathogen that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.

The Agriculture Department said it had received no reports of illnesses associated with the ground beef.

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