Smith's stores expands recall on ground beef

Smith's Food and Drug Stores is expanding the ground beef recall first issued on June 25.

The store said Tuesday that packages weighing two pounds or more of store-brand labeled beef grind 85/15 with sell-by dates of April 27 to June 1 may be contaminated with E. coli.

Smith's is asking customers to carefully check their freezers for ground beef with the following UPC codes:

• 0021165400000

• 0021165410000

• 0021165420000

• 0021165430000

Smith's stores in Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming are affected.

To date, no illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the beef products.

The items listed above include beef products in foam tray packages wrapped in clear cellophane and purchased at Smith's in-store fresh meat cases.

Customers who have any of the beef items included in this recall should return them to a store for a full refund or replacement.

E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site at www.cdc.gov.