Utah government inspectors shut down the meat department at a Midvale grocery store, after finding salmonella in samples of ground beef sold there.
The contamination was found during a routine inspection in late March at the International Marketplace, 125 W. 7200 South, Midvale, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food reported.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with the store’s beef.
“This happened on a routine inspection of the Marketplace,” said Bailie Woolstenhulme, public information officer for UDAF. “So hopefully we caught it before anybody actually consumed the product.”
Lab results showed all ground beef sold between March 22 and 31 was likely contaminated with Salmonella enterica. Anyone who bought ground beef at the store during that time should throw it away or return it to the store, Woolstenhulme said.
The beef was embargoed March 31, after UDAF issued a cease-and-desist order.
Woolstenhulme said the market’s meat department “should no longer be operating at this time, until things are fully investigated.” Updates on the outbreak will be posted at ag.utah.gov and uphl.utah.gov.
According to the store’s Facebook page, International Marketplace specializes in Middle Eastern cuisine.
Symptoms of salmonella typically last between four and seven days and can include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and a fever that sets in within a day or two of eating the contaminated meat.
Healthy people typically recover at home, but salmonella can send vulnerable people — including babies, young children, the elderly and immunocompromised people — to the hospital. Anyone who suspects they became ill because of this outbreak should report their case to the state at igotsick.health.utah.gov.
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