No reports of illness
in isles from
tainted beef

Safeway is 1 retailer recalling
ground beef possibly contaminated
by the E. coli bacteria

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By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com

There have been no reports of illness in Hawaii connected to a recall of hamburger meat that may have been contaminated by E. coli bacteria, according to the state Department of Health.

Maurice Tamura, manager of the food and drug branch, said the department is working with the local office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture but so far has not received reports of illness related to consumption of ground beef. Likewise, no local chain supermarkets have reported receiving any of the recalled products, he said.

"We're still checking, but that's the preliminary word," he said.

Safeway Inc.'s Northern California Division, which includes Hawaii, was one of a number of retail grocers affected by the recall of beef purchased from the ConAgra Beef Co.

Safeway said yesterday it would recall all ground beef sold in its Northern California, Hawaii and Nevada stores with sell-by dates from July 3 to July 15 as a precaution. The recalled beef purchased from ConAgra was part of a special shipment to meet increased customer demand during the Fourth of July holiday, the company said.

A Safeway spokesman could not specify how much of the beef could have made its way to Hawaii.

But David Bowlby, public affairs director for the division, said Safeway's entire purchase of beef from ConAgra amounted to less than 0.25 percent of the total of 19 million pounds voluntarily recalled by the company.

"This was a very small amount," Bowlby said. "ConAgra is not one of our principal suppliers, so what we have done is out of an abundance of caution."

E. Coli 0157:H7 is a particularly deadly form of the bacteria, said Tamura of the Health Department. Symptoms can include bloody diarrhea and dehydration.

Children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to food-borne illness, Tamura said.

A list of recalled products is available on the Internet at www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/recalls/prelease/pr055-2002.htm.