Beef from Safeway may have had salmonella: USDA

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Agriculture Department said fresh ground beef products contaminated with multi-drug resistant Salmonella may have been ground and later sold at Safeway Inc stores in five states.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the products were sold at supermarket chain Safeway Inc in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico between September 19 and November 5, 2007.

"This alert is being issued after an exhaustive and continuing investigation whereby FSIS could not identify specific establishments, lots and products that would be subject to a recall," the agency said.

"FSIS has no reason to believe that these products are still available for sale in commerce," it said.

FSIS said the alert was issued after epidemiological investigations and a study conducted by the California Department of Public Health, Arizona Department of Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These health agencies determined there was a connection between the ground beef products and 38 illnesses reported in the five states.

Salmonella infection typically causes diarrhea, accompanied by abdominal cramps and fever. It can be life-threatening in infants, people with poor underlying health and those with weakened immune systems.

(Reporting by Christopher Doering; Editing by David Gregorio)