Ground Beef Recall Impacts Montana At Start Of 2026

Nothing like starting the new year off with a good old fashioned food scare. Unfortunately, recalls have become a pretty regular headline these days. This one is a little closer to home for Montanans, as our state is one of only six affected.

An Idaho based company is recalling a batch of ground beef after routine testing raised concerns about possible E. coli contamination. The recall involves Mountain West Food Group, based in Heyburn, Idaho, and includes just under 3,000 pounds of product that was shipped to distributors across several states. Montana is on that list, along with California, Colorado, Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

The product being pulled is a 1lb, vacuum sealed package of grass-fed ground beef sold under the Forward Farms label. If you have ground beef in your freezer or fridge, this is one you should double check. The packages have a use or freeze by date of January 13, 2026, and list establishment number 2083 on the side of the packaging. The beef was produced on December 16, 2025.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the issue was discovered during routine sampling. Tests detected E. coli O26, a strain that can cause some unpleasant symptoms. You know... things such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, and vomiting.

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The good news is that, so far, no illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall. It is never a bad reminder to keep an eye on recalls, especially at the start of a new year when many of us are stocking up and resetting routines.