Recall Roundup: This week’s consumer product recalls

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Here’s your weekly roundup of recalled products announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service:

Bison products

Rocky Mountain Natural Meats of Henderson, Colo., is recalling about 66,776 pounds of ground and tenderized steak bison products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service became aware of the problem during an investigation into a cluster of E. coli illnesses in Colorado from June 4 to June 9.

Recalled products include:

-- 16-ounce packages of Great Range Brand All Natural Ground Bison. These products have a ‘sell or freeze by’ date of June 21, June 22 or June 24.

-- 16-ounce packages of Nature’s Rancher Ground Buffalo. These products have a ‘sell or freeze by’ date of June 22.

For a full list of products included in this recall, click here.

The recalled products feature the establishment number ‘EST. 20247’ inside the USDA mark of inspection. These products were produced May 21-27, 2010, and were distributed to retail establishments nationwide, food service distributors in Utah and Arizona, and a firm in Nevada for further processing.

FSIS advises consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and consume only ground bison that has been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. The only way to be sure ground bison is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. Children, seniors and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to food-borne illness.

Beef jerky

M&K II Co. of Macomb, Mich., is recalling about 8,000 pounds of beef jerky products because they contain undeclared allergens, wheat and soy.

The recalled products include:

-- 1-ounce and 3-ounce packages of ‘FIREHOUSE JERKY MILD BEEF JERKY SMOKE FLAVOR ADDED.’ ‘Sell by’ dates ranging from June 16, 2011 to Nov. 14, 2011 are ink-jetted on the back of each package.

-- 1-ounce and 3-ounce packages of ‘FIREHOUSE JERKY PEPPER BEEF JERKY SMOKE FLAVOR ADDED.’ ‘Sell by’ dates ranging from June 12, 2011 to Nov. 25, 2011 are ink-jetted on the back of each package.

These products were produced on various dates from Jan. 28 through May 21 and were sent to Firehouse Foods Inc., a distributor in Alsip, Ill., for further Internet and retail sales.

The problem was discovered by FSIS during a labeling review at the establishment. FSIS has received no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an allergic reaction should contact a physician.

Consumer Product Safety Commission issues window warning

Separately, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission this week released a statement urging parents and caregivers to closely monitor open windows in their homes after several children fell out of windows in recent weeks.

The safety agency said that on average, about eight deaths occur yearly in children five years or younger, and an estimated 3,300 children five and younger are treated each year in U.S. hospital emergency departments. These deaths and injuries frequently occur when children push themselves against window screens or climb onto furniture located next to an open window.

‘The deaths and life-altering injuries we have seen here at CPSC are heart-breaking and in many cases preventable,’ said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. ‘We want parents and caregivers to think safety before opening the windows where young children are present.’

To help prevent injuries, CPSC offers the following safety tips:

-- Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of windows. (For windows on the 6th floor and below, install window guards that adults and older children can open easily in case of fire.)

-- Install window stops so that windows open no more than 4 inches.

-- Never depend on screens to keep children from falling out of windows.

-- Whenever possible, open windows from the top, not the bottom.

-- Keep furniture away from windows to discourage children from climbing near windows.

-- Andrea Chang