Six persons who consumed the HelloFresh meal kit bought between July 2 and July 21 ground beef, which comes in 10-ounce vacuum-sealed packages, wound up in the hospital.
According to a statement made Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, experts are investigating whether any other ground beef may be contaminated.
In addition to "EST.46841" inside the USDA inspection mark and "EST#46841 L1 22 155" or "EST#46841 L5 22 155" on the side of the container, the infected packages are labeled "ground beef 85% lean/15% fat."
The CDC also recommended discarding any frozen ground beef and cleaning any surfaces and containers it came into contact with. E. coli poisoning can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and severe stomach cramps. Three to four days after ingesting the germs, they typically begin.
Although the CDC stated that "it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak." seven infections have so far been reported. It "affects a small portion of HelloFresh customers in the US who received ground beef from one specific supplier." HelloFresh stated in an email statement.
Berlin, Germany-based HelloFresh SE is a publicly traded meal kit business. It operates in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Europe (GB, D-A-CH, Benelux, France, Italy, and Scandinavia), Australia, the largest meal kit provider in the United States, and Japan. After becoming public in November 2017, it has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange ever since.
According to HelloFresh's business strategy, clients receive prepared components for a meal that must then be prepared using recipe cards, which takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Typically, it offers three dinners for two each week for between $60 and $70. It provides a selection of roughly 19 recipes.
Based on the model of its rival Blue Apron, HelloFresh offers a wine subscription service in the United States. It offers "Rapid Box" meals, which can be prepared in as little as 20 minutes, in a number of markets.
A USDA-certified organic meal kit company called Green Chef was acquired by HelloFresh in March 2018. With the addition of Green Chef's organic, gluten-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly menus, HelloFresh intended to provide consumers with the broadest assortment of meal plans and diets currently available.
As of November 2017, the company's U.S. operations generated 60% of its sales and accounted for 44% of the U.S. market.
