E. Coli Alert Issued for Ground Beef in HelloFresh Meal Kits

A health alert was issued about ground beef included in HelloFresh food because of a possible connection to an E. coli contamination.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued the health alert about the possibly contaminated ground beef shipped to subscribers between July 2 and July 21. An outbreak that likely began with ground beef is being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several state public health departments.

The alert did not disclose where the outbreak occurred. The New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Service on Tuesday morning did not respond to Seacoast Current's request for more information.

The product affected by the alert is 10-oz. plastic vacuum-packed packages labeled “Ground Beef 85% LEAN/15% fat” with codes EST#46841 L1 22 155 or EST#46841 L5 22 155 on the side of the packaging.

The ground beef packages bear “EST.46841” inside the USDA mark of inspection and on the plastic ground beef package.

E. coli symptoms develop usually within two to eight days of ingesting the germ.

It can be prevented by thorough hand-washing after using the bathroom or changing a diaper, before and after food preparation, and after contact with animals.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH