Contaminated Ground Beef In PA Leads To Illness, Health Alert

PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania is among seven states impacted by tainted ground beef from HelloFresh meal kits that officials believe is contaminated with E. coli.

At least one person in Pennsylvania has been infected in the latest outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

A total of seven people in six states have been sickened, and six of the seven individuals have been hospitalized, according to the CDC.

Other states impacted include New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington.

The kits containing the ground beef were shipped from July 2 to 21, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a notice. The ground beef came in a 10-0unce package with the label "EST. 46841" next to the USDA mark of inspection. The sides of the packages contained one of two codes: EST#46841 L1 22 155 or EST#46841 L5 22 155.

Anyone who received the kit and still has the ground beef in their freezers should throw it away.

E. coli bacteria are usually harmless and actually are an important part of a healthy human intestinal tract, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, some E. coli are pathogenic, meaning they cause illness.

Symptoms of E. coli infection include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody) and vomiting.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Megan VerHelst