Farm Rich Products Corporation has pulled 10 million pounds of products that might contain E.coli poisoning.
The Buffalo, New York-based company expanded their recall list, (having recalled 196,222 pounds of chicken quesadillas and other frozen snacks on March 28), to cover items like cheese steaks, mozzarella bites and Philly cheese steaks bearing sell-by dates from January 1 through September 29, 2014.
The food could potentially be contaminated with the bacterium E.coli O121, which already has hit 24 people in 15 states who ate these particular Farm Rich Foods.
Seven people have been hospitalized, claim officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This particular strain of E.coli is among a lethal group of bacteria called Shiga toxin producing E.coli, NBC reports. The bacteria could lead to severe illness and disease, including kidney failure, bloody excrement, and other complications.
Bill Gisel, Farm Rich Product Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer, said he wasn't sure his company was to blame for the E.coli outbreaks, but took precautions and removed the items from the market anyway.
"While Rich Products is unaware of any illnesses associated with the products included in the expanded recall, its unwavering safety commitment to its customers caused it to take this action," the Rich Products Corporation said on its website.
"When it became apparent to us that, despite the expertise of the USDA, the FDA, the scientific community and our own experts, identification of a specific cause was not going to be a simple or short process, we decided to act proactively to expand the recall," it said.
He also added that Rich's would comply with all federal and state laws as the investigation continues.
Reports of cases so far have been logged in Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Ohio and Michigan.
For a full list of the recalled products, check out the compilation at ABC15.
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