Cargill Meat Solutions of Fort Morgan is recalling 66.3 tons of ground beef products following an outbreak of one death and 17 illnesses that were reported due to E. coli contamination.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the recall on Wednesday.
The ground beef items were produced and packaged on June 21, 2018.
An Aug. 16 FSIS investigation verified the 17 E. coli illnesses reported between July 5 and July 25, according to a news release by Maria Machuca of the USDA.
Food investigators determined that everyone sickened had purchased raw meat at grocery stores supplied by Cargill, Machuca said.
The identity of the deceased person has not been released.
Products that are subject to recall are marked with “EST. 86R,” inside the USDA inspection mark.
In a statement on Thursday, Cargill said all of the affected products have been removed from supermarkets. Food safety teams are reviewing the Fort Morgan facility and others “to ensure we continue to deliver safe food,” the statement said.
“We were distressed to learn a fatality may be related to an E.coli contamination of one of our products,” it said. “Our hearts go out to the families and individuals affected by this issue.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.