Whole Foods Market is recalling fresh ground beef that was sold between June 2 and August 6 in certain states, including Alabama, Canada, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Wisconsin, the company announced.

In July, Nebraska Beef recalled about 531,700 pounds of beef after a federal investigation reached to the conclusion that the products released by the company led to an E. coli outbreak in several states. According to the Associated Press, the products have been linked to illnesses in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illlinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The beef is marked by the USDA with the “EST. 19336” number inside the package, but that number will likely not show up on meat that consumers buy, the USDA said.

The USDA said the recall is “Class 1,” the most dangerous level of the three classes of recall. This means that eating the beef could cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. E. coli O157:H7 can cause bad stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea. In some cases, it can cause life threatening problems. Children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are more exposed to the disease. Harmful bacteria are destroyed and the ground beef is safe to consume when it is cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Health officials recommend that people cook beef (especially ground beef) until is completely cooked through and no longer pink. Regulators do not monitor the meat sold for steaks and roasts because the bacterium is destroyed when the meat is cooked through and cooked meat is less likely to make people sick.

The bacterium that can cause serious poisoning in humans is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded animals.

The CDC estimates that the E. coli bacterium sickens more than 70,000 people and kills more than 60 every year in the United States.

“We will continue to investigate to see what is happening at the plant to see what they have to do to get a handle on their food-safety issues,” said USDA spokeswoman Laura Reiser.

At least four grocery chains owned by the Kroger Company, including Fred Meyer, King Soopers and City Market have also recalled suspect beef packages in recent days.

The investigation carried out by state health departments, Centers for Disease Control and the USDA found 31 cases of the contamination in 12 states and Canada. Among them were Kentucky, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Utah, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

Whole Foods has bough beef from Coleman Natural Foods, which processed the meat at Nebraska Beef. But the company assured Whole Foods that products sent to Whole Foods stores weren’t linked to the recall. But Coleman Natural Foods announced in April its decision to sell its beef line to another company, Meyer Natural Angus, of Loveland, Colo. It appears that Coleman started processing some of its beef at Nebraska Beef. The new company got the right to use the Coelman brand name for a year. A spokesman for Coleman Natural said the E. coli tainted beef at Whole Foods isn’t Coleman’s.