Kapowsin Meats, a Graham-based meat supplier, is recalling approximately 523,000 pounds of pork products that may be contaminated with salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last Friday. The business has voluntarily suspended operations while an investigation continues, officials said. The federal agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been conducting sampling tests at Kapowsin Meats while the establishment addressed sanitary conditions at the facility after the original recall on Aug. 13. Sampling revealed salmonella in whole hogs, associated pork products and throughout the facility, officials said. The whole hogs and other items were produced between April 18 and Aug. 26. The products that are being recalled are varying weights of boxed/bagged Whole Hogs for Barbeque and fabricated pork products, including pork blood and pork trim. The product subject to recall bears the establishment number "Est. 1628GÇ¥ inside the USDA mark of inspection. The product was shipped to individuals, retail locations and distributors in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, according to USDA. FSIS and Kapowsin Meats are concerned that some products may be frozen and in consumers' freezers. Consumers who have purchased the products should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase, officials urged. Retailers that officials said might have purchased whole hogs from Kapowsin Meats for resale include 53 in Washington, five in Alaska and two in Oregon. Pierce County locations include Beef Outlet-Butcher Boys and Blue Max in Puyallup, and three in Tacoma - Dave's Meat and Produce, East Asia and Hong Kong Tacoma. On July 15, the Washington State Department of Health notified FSIS that the state agency was investigating reports of salmonella illnesses. Working with the state and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FSIS found a link between Kapowsin Meats products and 36 cases of the illness. Those cas4es are part of a larger investigation of 152 case-patients in Washington with illnesses between April 25 and Aug. 12, officials reported. Eating food contaminated with salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment. But in somecases, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient is hospitalized. Older adults, infants and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume pork and whole hogs for barbeque that have been cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit with a three-minute rest time. The only way to confirm that whole hogs for barbeque are cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.
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