Over 16K pounds of ground beef sold at Walmart recalled over E. coli contamination

More than 16,000 pounds of ground beef sold at Walmart stores across the US have been recalled over a possible E. coli contamination, the US Department of Agriculture said.

The beef comes from Cargill Meat Solutions in Hazleton, Pa., per a “high class” warning issued on the USDA’s site on Wednesday, and were “shipped to Walmart locations nationwide.”

Affected packages of the ground-up protein have an establishment ID of “EST. 86P,” were produced between April 26 and April 27 and all bear a USDA mark of inspection.

The packages — which do not identify Cargill on labels — span “93% lean, 7% fat all natural lean ground beef,” prime rib beef steak burgers, and “85% lean, 15% fat all natural premium ground beef.”

Packages of “80% lean, 20% fat all natural ground beef chuck,” as well as four-packs of ground beef chuck patties and ground beef sirloin patties were also included in the recall, which spans a total of 16,243 pounds of meat.

The strain of E. coli that has potentially contaminated the six types of ground beef in question, O157:H7, “can cause severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

Healthy adults will typically feel the symptoms of ingesting E. coli O157:H7 within three to four days, and can recover within the following week.

Children and older adults, however, are at “risk of developing a life-threatening form of kidney failure” from the E. coli strain, the Mayo Clinic said.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service advised anyone with the plastic-wrapped trays of beef included in the recall to throw them away or returned to their place of purchase for a refund.

The FSIS confirmed that as of Wednesday, “there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.”

The recall marks the second time this month that the FSIS has found that ground beef was potentially infected by the harmful bacteria.

The agency found last week that more than a dozen ground beef products produced by the Greater Omaha Packing Co. may be tainted with E. coli as well.

The FSIS said it was “concerned that some products may be in consumers’ and food service institutions’ freezers” and urged the public not to consume them due to possible contamination.

Packaging of the products, which were made on March 28, should show an April 22 “Use/Freeze by” date and the establishment number “EST. 960A.”

Greater Omaha Packing produces beef that goes to more than 70 countries.

Another contaminant — inorganic arsenic — was found in a lot of Martinelli’s pricey apple juice on Tuesday.

The voluntary recall affects a lot of one-liter bottles with a “best by” date of either March 9, 2026, or March 20, 2026, which contained levels of inorganic arsenic exceeding the US Food and Drug Administration’s standards, USA Today earlier reported.

The size of the lot — a retailing term that typically refers to the quantity of a product ordered for a specific date or manufactured during a single production run — couldn’t immediately be learned.

The glass bottles — which were being sold at Target, Whole Foods, Publix, Kroger and Winn-Dixie for a steep roughly $18 each — were sent to stores between March 13, 2023, and Sept. 27, 2023.

The World Health Organization warned that consuming inorganic arsenic can lead to acute arsenic poisoning, which comes with concerning “immediate symptoms” like “vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.”

“These are followed by numbness and tingling of the extremities, muscle cramping and death, in extreme cases,” the WHO added of exposure to inorganic arsenic, which it said “is a confirmed carcinogen.”