JBS Tolleson Inc., which is part of Brazilian packaged meat producer JBS S.A.'s U.S. arm, has issued a recall of about 6.9 million pounds of various raw, non-intact beef products sold in the U.S. due to the potential presence of salmonella newport, according to an Oct. 4 notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The recall affects various raw, non-intact beef products, including ground beef, packaged on various dates from July 26 to Sept. 7. They were distributed to retail outlets, including Walmart Inc., across several U.S. states, such as Arizona, California, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida.

The products subject to the recall bear establishment number EST. 267. A complete list of affected items are posted on the FSIS website.

The FSIS said it was first notified of an investigation into salmonella newport illnesses on Sept. 5. The agency subsequently identified JBS as the common supplier of the affected ground beef products following a traceback of the affected meat.

The investigation has identified 57 case-patients from 16 states with illness onset dates ranging from Aug. 5 to Sept. 6, the FSIS said.

The agency said salmonella-contaminated food can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses.

The FSIS is urging customers who have purchased the products to discard them or to return them to their place of purchase.