USDA Announces Recall of Ground Turkey Linked to Salmonella Outbreak

WASHINGTON - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday that 36 million pounds of Cargill ground turkey were being recalled after a salmonella outbreak that killed at least one person.

The turkey linked to the outbreak comes from a single plant in Springdale, Ark., and the recall stretches from early February to Aug. 2, a USDA official told NewsCore.

Packages of the recalled turkey have a specific code on the package: Est. P-963.

The USDA had issued a public health alert late Friday after ground turkey was implicated in an estimated 77 infections in 26 states, including one death in California.

The strain involved in this outbreak, salmonella Heidelberg, is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics, which can increase the risk of hospitalization or treatment failure.

"Don't try to eat undercooked turkey. Cook the meat thoroughly. If you need a meat thermometer, you get the temperature up to a 165 degrees, the salmonella is gone. Wash your hands, clean the surfaces where the meat was touching," said FOX News Medical Team's Dr. Caroline Cromwell.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspects that a plant in Arkansas processed the tainted turkey.

Online:

CDC Info on Salmonella in Ground Turkey:
www.cdc.gov/salmonella/heidelberg/080111/index.html

Cargill Initiates Voluntary Ground Turkey Recall
www.cargill.com/news-center

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• CDC: 1 Death, 76 Illnesses Linked to Ground Turkey