Tainted Beef Sickens Boy Scouts

Brian W. Smith

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As many as 70 people at a Boy Scout camp in Virginia have come down with food poisoning that may have come from a hamburger packing plant in Azusa, California, which is recalling 153,630 pounds of raw meat as a result.

Virginia health officials say dozens of Boy Scouts have come down with strain 0157:H7 of E. coli bacterial infections. One scout remains hospitalized, and 26 others have needed medical care, some in hospitals.

"We are recalling the product from distribution channels until we can determine whether illnesses in Virginia are connected to our operations or have some other original source or cause," said Jeff Grohs, a vice president at S & S Foods in Azusa, in an e-mail to the Pasadena Star-News.

This is the second recall of beef in the U.S. in the past 24 hours. On Friday, Whole Foods Market recalled ground beef that it sold between June 2 and August 6, 2008 because of a concern that it may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria.