Health Highlights: May 19, 2014

E. Coli Spurs 1.8 Million-Pound Beef RecallObama 'Madder Than Hell' About VA Problems: AideKraft Recalls 1.2 Million Cases of Cottage Cheese

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

E. Coli Spurs 1.8 Million-Pound Beef Recall

Possible E. coli contamination has triggered the recall of 1.8 million pounds of ground beef products produced by Wolverine Packing Company of Detroit, federal officials say.

The recalled meat, which was distributed to restaurants in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, has been linked to 11 cases of E. coli, USA Today reported.

The products were produced from March 31 to April 18 and have the establishment number "EST. 2574B" on them, according to the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The first E. coli illness came to the USDA's attention on May 12, and the agency worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to link the problem to Wolverine Packing Company, USA Today reported.

None of the recalled ground beef products were sent to the National School Lunch Program, the Department of Defense, or were made available through online and catalog sales, USDA said.

-----

Obama 'Madder Than Hell' About VA Problems: Aide

Reports about treatment delays at Veterans Affairs hospitals across the United States have made President Barack Obama "madder than hell," according to White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.

He said on the CBS news program "Face the Nation" that Obama ordered VA officials to "continue to fix these things until they're functioning the way that our veterans believe they should," the Associated Press reported.

There have been allegations that treatment delays at the Phoenix VA hospital led to deaths that could have been prevented. On Friday, a top VA official resigned over the problems.

On Wednesday, House Republicans are scheduled to vote on legislation that would give VA Secretary Eric Shinseki greater authority to fire or demote officials at the VA and its 152 medical facilities, the AP reported.

-----

Kraft Recalls 1.2 Million Cases of Cottage Cheese

About 1.2 million cases of several brands of cottage cheese are being recalled by Kraft due to improper storage of ingredients used in the products.

The company said the recalled brands include certain Knudsen Cottage Cheese, Breakstone's Cottage Cheese, Simply Kraft Cottage Cheese and Daily Chef Cottage Cheese products. All of them were made at Kraft's Tulare, Calif. plant, NBC News reported.

Some of the ingredients in the recalled batches of cottage cheese were not stored according to Kraft temperature standards, the company said. The recalled products were distributed across the United States and have code dates from May 9, 2014 through July 23, 2014.

Consumers with these products should not eat them. Instead, return them to the place of purchase for an exchange or refund. For more information, phone Kraft at 1-800-396-6307 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern Time, NBC News reported.

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
www.healthday.com