Cargill Recalls Ground Beef After E. Coli Reports

Agribusiness and trading giant Cargill recalled 8,500 pounds of ground beef late Friday that may contain E coli.

"The move came after three people, two in Maine and one in New York, were identified as becoming ill from a strain of E. coli," CNN said, citing a government statement. "The USDA says it believes certain BJ's Wholesale Club stores in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia received the products," the news service added.

Cargill is one of the largest companies in the U.S., with annual revenue of $108 billion and net income of $2.6 billion. The recall is small enough, so far, that it is likely to have very little effect on the firm's profit. The Cargill news comes on the heels of the huge recall of more than half a billion eggs that have been infected with salmonella. The series of egg recalls began Aug. 13.