Ground beef sold at Whole Foods may have E. coli, public health alert say

WASHINGTON — Federal safety officials have issued a public health alert for packages of organic ground beef sold at Whole Foods stores across the country, warning that the products may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria .

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the alert Tuesday after the producer, NPC Processing Inc., reported it had shipped ground beef that tested positive for the potentially deadly bacteria.

The health alert includes one-pound vacuum-sealed packages of “Organic Rancher Organic Ground Beef 85% Lean 15% Fat” with "Use or Freeze By 06-19-25" and "Use or Freeze By 06-20-25" dates printed on the packaging. The products bear establishment number “EST. 4027” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Although the ground beef