Trader Joe's Beef Recall

On Saturday, October 31 Fairbank Farms, of Ashville, N.Y., issued a recall for more than half a million pounds of fresh ground beef. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the beef packaged on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16 may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The products are marked with a sell-by-date from Sept. 19-28. To confirm if you have any beef in question, check the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Services pdf of the food labels so you can see exactly what the packaging looks like.

Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts have reported illnesses linked to these products. One death in New Hampshire has been associated with eating contaminated beef. The products in question were sold in the following states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

“The products have been cleared from store shelves, but families who have frozen ground beef over the past few weeks in Connecticut from Trader Joes, Shaws, BJ’s Warehouse, or Price Chopper should look on the package for the code that would indicate if it’s part of the recalled batch,” Commissioner Farrell said.

For more on this, visit My Fox Maine or The Ridgefield Press.

This is another reminder that cows are meant to eat grass not grain. Even stores known for their organic reputation sell beef that is grain fed. That is what is known as "vegetarian fed". However, that is not the same as grass fed. It will be proudly labeled as such and will cost you more, but it's worth it.

You don't have to give up your love of beef. There are farmers out there with conviction enough to raise cattle the way it was intended regardless of the challenges. Please take time to visit White Oak Farms and hear the story of one such farmer and why he believes grass fed cattle produces healthier beef.