Food-Poisoning Outbreak Prompts Recall of Meats

Sara Lee Corp. announced Tuesday that it is voluntarily recalling hot dogs and other packaged meats as a precaution after an outbreak of food poisoning in nine states left four people dead and 35 ill.

Health officials said the outbreak was caused by the listeria bacterium. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was testing Sara Lee’s Bil Mar Foods division in Zeeland, Mich., to see if meat produced there was the source.

A Sara Lee spokeswoman declined to say how many packages were involved, but the company estimates recall costs at $50 million to $70 million.

Cases are under investigation in Ohio, New York, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Oregon and Vermont.

The products being recalled include the national Ball Park, Grillmaster and Hygrade brands, and some regional brands.

Consumers can return the packages to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday that it voluntarily recalled about 3.5 million vehicles, including older models of its Taurus, Mercury Sable and Lincoln Continentals. The auto maker said that in a small percentage of the recalled vehicles, road salt and moisture could have corroded engine and transmission supports, causing the subframe to drop and make steering difficult.

Also on Tuesday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a list of recalled toys that are still being used by consumers.

The list includes lawn darts; Power Wheels, a battery-powered vehicle that children can ride but which poses a fire hazard because of faulty wiring; Soft Walkin’ Wheels, toy trucks with small wheel hubs that pose choking hazards; Flying Dolls, a spinning toy with plastic wings that can fly off and cause eye injuries; and various toy chests that have lids that can entrap or strangle children.

The CPSC also announced a recall of more than 10 million toy basketball sets because of loose netting that can strangle children. More than 20 injuries have been reported.

For more information and a complete list of recalled toys, consumers may call the CPSC hotline at 800-638-2772 or visit the agency’s Web site at https://www.cpsc.gov.