Two-hundred-66 pounds of ground beef from the I-B-P plant in Geneseo Illinois, has been recalled due to possible contamination. U-S-D-A tests found e-coli bacteria in samples taken at the plant. The meat was distributed in 25 states, including Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, the state epidemiologist, says if ground beef is cooked properly, the e-coli bacteria is destroyed. Twenty-six cases of e-coli poisoning have been reported in Iowa so far this year. In 1999, 114 cases were reported to state health officials. I-B-P spokesman Gary Mickelson did not respond to requests for an interview.
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