Beef Recall Expanded

J-B-S Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo., is voluntarily expanding its beef recall to include about 380,000 pounds of products because of possible E. coli contamination.

A recall earlier this week involved about 41,000 pounds of products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says an investigation by its Food Safety and Inspection Service of 24 illnesses in multiple states prompted the company to re-examine its food safety system.

The department says 18 of the illnesses appear to have the same cause, and the company is conducting the recall "out of an abundance of caution."

The U-S-D-A didn't immediately have an update on what states had reported illnesses or received beef products covered by the expanded recall.

But the earlier recall covered products shipped to Oregon and a dozen other states.

More details about the recall are available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_034_2009_Expanded/index.asp