New Haven, CT – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn. – 3), chairwoman of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and co-chair of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus, issued the following statement on the recall expansion, now totaling 421,000 pounds, of beef distributed by JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colorado because of possible E. coli contamination. An investigation into 24 illnesses in multiple states, of which at least 18 seem to be connected, is on-going.

"It is deeply troubling that it has been over two months since this meat was produced and only now are we learning that thousands of Americans have potentially been exposed to E. coli-tainted beef. I urge the USDA to aggressively and expeditiously investigate why in the company's words the safety of this product could not be assured."