The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ordered ConAgra Beef Co. Friday to recall nearly 19 million additional pounds of ground beef after 18 people became ill from eating meat contaminated with the bacteria Escherichia coli. On June 30, the federal government asked ConAgra to recall 354,200 pounds of meat after a batch from the company's Greeley, Colorado plant tested positive for E. coli. After receiving several reports of E. coli outbreaks throughout the state in early July, the USDA conducted several tests, determining that the bacteria strain found in the sick patients matched the strain discovered in the ConAgra facility.

According to the company, the recalled beef was shipped over the last three months to 21 states. The recall is the second largest involving E. coli contaminated beef in U.S. history. In 1997, Hudson Foods withdrew 25 million pounds of meat from the market.