Company expands hamburger recall

— -- A New Jersey company has expanded a recall of frozen hamburgers to 21.7 million pounds of patties because they may be contaminated with a deadly type of E. coli, making it the second-largest ground beef recall in U.S. history.

Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, N.J., originally recalled 332,000 pounds of pre-formed, frozen hamburgers on Tuesday. It broadened the recall Saturday.

The recalled packages carry the number "9748" inside the U.S. Department of Agriculture mark of inspection and have a "sell by" date or a "best if used by" date between Sept. 25 of this year and Sept. 25, 2008.

Most of the recalled products are 10-pound boxes of pre-formed hamburgers sold to institutional customers such as restaurants, hospitals and schools. However, some are 1.5-, 2- and 3-pound boxes that consumers might have purchased.

The boxed, frozen hamburgers were distributed to retail grocery stores and food service institutions throughout the USA. The company believes most have already been eaten, it said on its website, but emphasized that it is "imperative that consumers look for these products in their freezers," and if they find them, dispose of them immediately.

As of Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had identified 25 cases of E. coli O157:H7 in eight states. Three of those illnesses have been linked to Topps products, and 22 are under investigation, according to the USDA.

The cases emerged between July 5 and Sept. 9: two in Connecticut, one in Florida, one in Indiana, one in Maine, seven in New York, five in New Jersey, one in Ohio and seven in Pennsylvania.

"We are still concerned and still monitoring the situation," said Shelly Diaz, CDC spokeswoman.

The CDC is working on the casetogether with retailers, states and the USDA.

"We sincerely regret any inconvenience and concerns this may cause our consumers," said Geoffrey Livermore, Topps' operations vice president.

The E. coli O157:H7 bacteria releases a toxin that can cause cramping, nausea and vomiting that lasts a week. In some people, generally children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, it can lead to severe cramping, bloody diarrhea and in extreme cases, kidney failure and death.