Advisory Regarding Ground Beef Sold in Five States From September 19 - November 5,...

Advisory Regarding Ground Beef Sold in Five States From September 19 - November 5, 2007

Safeway Urges Consumers to Practice Safe Food Handling and
Preparation Practices
PLEASANTON, Calif.--(Business Wire)--Safeway has been notified by the USDA that it may have received
raw ground beef products affected with a strain of Salmonella Newport
between September 19 and November 5 in five states -- Arizona,
California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico. There have been no reported
illnesses in Hawaii or New Mexico. There is a single reported case in
Idaho that has no apparent ties to Safeway stores.

This is not a recall, nor is the ground beef in Safeway stores
today the subject of the alert. The USDA alert refers to products that
may have been sold at Safeway stores seven or more weeks ago. This
notice also does not include fresh ground beef patties. The USDA alert
does not relate to store handling or food safety practices.

To date, no Safeway product has tested positive for Salmonella
Newport and the USDA has not definitively identified one product,
retailer or establishment that is the source of the contamination. In
response to the alert, however, the company is asking customers who
have raw ground beef products in their freezer purchased in these
particular states between September 19 and November 5 to discard the
product, as advised by the USDA.

Safeway is committed to ensuring the safety of our customers and
the products we sell. We employ rigorous food safety standards in our
stores and insist on the same level of commitment from our suppliers
and vendors. Our food safety standards and practices are among the
strictest in the industry.

Proper cooking kills Salmonella Newport. Safeway is using this
opportunity to remind consumers of proper procedures for cooking
ground beef and other food products.

-- Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds
before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Wash cutting
boards, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water. Immediately
clean spills.

-- Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will
not be cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat and
cooked foods. Consumers should eat ground beef only when it is
cooked to a safe internal temperature of 160(degree)F.

-- Color is NOT a reliable indicator that ground beef has been
cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria.
The only way to be sure ground beef is cooked to a high enough
temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a thermometer
to measure the internal temperature.

-- Refrigerate raw meat within two hours after purchase or one
hour if temperatures exceed 90(degree)F. Refrigerate cooked
meat and poultry within two hours after cooking.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the USDA Meat and
Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 or the USDA food safety consumer
website at AskKaren.gov.

Safeway Inc.
Brian Dowling, 925-467-3787
Teena Massingill, 925-467-3180

Copyright Business Wire 2007