Ground beef recalled in six states due to potential E. Coli contamination
Thousands of pounds of ground beef have been recalled due to a dangerous health risk.
Mountain West Food Group, LLC, is recalling approximately 2,855 pounds of raw ground beef products, according to Saturday’s announcement from the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The product was recalled because it may be contaminated with E. coli O26, a variation of “Shiga toxin-producing E. coli” that can cause severe illness, according to the agency’s report. The problem “was discovered during routine” tests and “the sampling results showed the presence of E. coli O26,” the report says.
The recalled raw ground beef is in 16-ounce, vacuum-sealed packages containing the label “FORWARD FARMS GRASS-FED GROUND BEEF.” It also has “USE OR FREEZE BY 01/13/26 EST 2083” on the side of the packaging.
The beef was sent to distributors who sold to six states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
There have not been any illnesses reported to date, but USDA is recommending that the product be thrown away immediately or returned to the place of purchase for a full refund.
People can become sick from E. coli O26 around 28 days after exposure, according to the USDA. People infected by the bacteria usually experience symptoms like diarrhea, which can be bloody, or vomiting.
“Some illnesses last longer and can be more severe. Infection is usually diagnosed by testing of a stool sample,” according to the report. “Vigorous rehydration and other supportive care is the usual treatment; antibiotic treatment is generally not recommended.”
Many different foods have been recalled in 2025 due to concerns about food-borne illness. In September, Nate’s Fine Foods of Roseville, California, recalled nearly 245,000 pounds of various pasta products after they were linked to a listeria outbreak, which began in August 2024.
The listeria outbreak resulted in six deaths and 27 illnesses across 18 states, as of November 2025.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, listeria is a “bacteria that can contaminate many foods,” with infections caused by eating food with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Although symptoms can vary, a listeria infection can “cause invasive illness and intestinal illness.”
Short-term symptoms among healthy individuals with a listeria infection can include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, and abdominal pain. Listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from food-borne illness in the United States, killing roughly 260 people per year.
Food-borne illness is a serious health problem across the United States. Roughly 48 million people get sick and roughly 128,000 people are hospitalized from food-borne illness each year, and as many as 3,000 people die, according to the CDC.
