WASHINGTON - Ground beef may be responsible for more than two dozen cases of E. coli and two deaths. A ground beef recall is in effect across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Beef has been recalled from some local grocery chains, including Giant, Trader Joe's and BJ's.

Word of yet another food recall once again has shoppers wondering what's safe.

"When I'm having lasagna for dinner tonight, it's always a little bit scary," said shopper Gib Hale.

Another shopper, Lauren Johnson, admitted, "It does concern me. And I do think about it."

Supermarket chains in Maryland and Virginia have recalled more than half-a-million pounds of ground beef blamed for an E. coli outbreak that killed two people and made 28 others sick.

"I like to shop at Trader Joe's and I shop there all the time, so it's surprising to me," said shopper Hannah Ringheim about the recall.

The tainted meat came from Fairbank Farms out of New York, which has had two other recalls over the past two years.

The Centers for Disease Control is now asking customers to check their freezers and throw out any beef with the "EST492" written on the label and a sell-by date between September 19 and September 28.

After dropping for a few years, the USDA says recalls of contaminated ground beef have rebounded with at least a dozen through October 2009.

Congress has begun hearings on food safety, including more stringent inspections and a bigger role for the food and drug administration, but as shoppers ask if the beef they're buying is safe, they're starting to ask when they can see some action.

"I hope that better legislation is passed," said Johnson.

Symptoms of E. coli infections, including severe stomach cramps, usually show up three to four days after a person eats contaminated food. In some cases, it can be as long as eight days. Officials say anyone having symptoms should immediately contact a doctor.

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