Outbreaks
Rochester Meat Company E. coli Outbreak
On January 12, 2008 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Rochester Meat Company was recalling approximately 188,000 pounds of ground beef due to contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The recall was initiated after an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak among Wisconsin and California residents was traced to hamburgers served at Tony Roma’s restaurants that had received ground beef patty shipments from Rochester Meat.During the outbreak investigation, public health investigators who visited the Fitchburg, Wisconsin, Tony Roma’s restaurant learned that employees did not routinely use a thermometer to check hamburgers for doneness. Instead, they judged hamburger doneness by “texture and color.”
