DENVER -- If you have ground beef in your refrigerator or freezer, there is a new major recall you need to know about.

It involves ground beef sold by Safeway, and possibly other stores. It's unclear what the other stores are because the company in California that processed the meat sends the meat in 40-, 60- and 80-pound packages to distributors who repackage it.

The government said the meat is being recalled because it's making people in Colorado sick.

Safeway said it is recalling fresh ground beef products sold in its stores between June 6 through July 14. The recall affects stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Fresh ground beef products sold at both the full service counter and in the self service area, with the sell-by dates listed above, should be discarded or returned for a full refund. These products include fresh ground beef, fresh ground beef patties and fresh meat loaf.

Beef Packers, Inc., a Fresno, Calif. company, announced Thursday that it is recalling approximately 826,000 pounds of ground beef products that may be linked to an outbreak of illness from salmonella.

Colorado health officials, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and several other state health departments have been investigating an outbreak of salmonella infections that are resistant to several commonly used antibiotics.

To date, illnesses have been identified in 11 states. The majority of cases -- 21 illnesses -- have been reported in Colorado in the following counties: Arapahoe (3), Broomfield (3), Denver (3), Douglas (1), Elbert (1), Garfield (1), Jefferson (5), Mesa (1), Pueblo (1) and Weld (2).

"We do know four people were hospitalized for a number of days, and they did recover which is good," said Dr. Ken Gershman, from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

"We know seven other folks paid visits to the emergency departments," Gershman added.

Teena Massingill, spokeswoman for Safeway, released a statement Thursday.

"Safeway is committed to ensuring the safety of its customers. The company employs rigorous food safety standards in stores and insists on the same level of commitment from suppliers and vendors. Safeway’s food safety standards and practices are among the most stringent in the industry," the statement said.

Most people became ill during late June and early July, with the most recent illness occurring July 13. Because it can take at least two weeks for cases of illness to be reported to the state health department, it is possible additional cases may be reported, said Mark Salley, spokesman for the state health department.

A spokeswoman from Beef Packers, Inc. told 7NEWS a complete list of stores that may have received the contaminated meat is expected to be made public Friday.

Gershman said in a number of cases, people admitted they ate the ground beef raw -- putting them at a higher risk for exposure to bacteria.

This is the second large outbreak of salmonella the department has investigated since July 1. The other outbreak was linked to ground beef sold in King Soopers and City Market stores. Both outbreaks have been linked to ground beef.

The ground beef products from Beef Packers were distributed to retail distribution centers in Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah.

Of Colorado's confirmed cases, the state has epidemiologic data showing that 15 of 16 confirmed illnesses (out of a total of 21 confirmed cases) purchased their ground beef product at Safeway stores. Point of purchase information is not available on the other Colorado cases.

The ground beef products associated with the known cases were produced on various dates ranging from June 5 through June 23, and bear the establishment number "EST. 31913" printed on the case code labels.

Because the products were repackaged into consumer-sized packages and sold under different retail brand names, consumers are being told check with their local retailer to determine whether they may have purchased any of the products subject to recall.

Check your freezers for any recalled product and discard it because of the potential to contaminate hands or the kitchen with the meat. The product also can be returned to place of purchase.

Symptoms Of Salmonella

Eating food contaminated with salmonella can result in abdominal cramping, diarrhea and fever. Most people infected with salmonella develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment.

However, anyone experiencing symptoms such as severe diarrhea should contact a physician. In some individuals, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In rare circumstances, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses.

The very young, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness; however, anyone can be infected with Salmonella.

Tips To Prevent Salmonella

Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Also wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water. Clean up spills right away.

Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will not be cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and egg products and cooked foods.

Cook raw meat and poultry to safe internal temperatures before eating. The safe internal temperature for meat such as beef and pork is 160º F, and 165º F for poultry, as determined with a food thermometer.

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

Additional Resources:

You can call Beef Packers at 877-872-3635 for more information about the beef recall. But the recording doesn't have any detailed information yet. The company said it won't have a list of stores that sold the meat until Friday.
Safeway customers can contact 1-800-SAFEWAY for more information about their specific product.
Consumers with food safety questions also can contact "Ask Karen," the Food Safety and Inspection Service virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.