So Much for Burgers on the 4th of July

Photo courtesy of Seattlest Flickr contributor zeebleoop

Well, unless you want your burger to be a bun, pickles, lettuce cheese, and condiments. Or perhaps of the exotic meat or veggie variety. Local QFCs and Fred Meyers (parent company: Kroger) are recalling ground beef purchased at their stores over the past few weeks. The beef is being recalled after an outbreak of E. coli in the Midwest traced to the beef. Of course this recall comes on the heels of the are-they-or-aren't-they-killer salmonella-tainted tomatoes outbreak, which has yet to be solved.

According to the recall announcement, the affected ground beef

includes products in plastic foam tray packages wrapped in cellophane, or purchased from a service counter at all Fred Meyer and QFC stores between May 21 and July 5. Kroger also is recalling 16-ounce packages of ground beef under the "Private Selection Natural" label with "sell-by" dates from July 11 through July 21.

Considering this recall (which includes recalling beef from the future) and the fact that who knows what vegetable or product was causing the salmonella outbreak, we recommend a largely liquid diet on the 4th of July.