Restaurant inspectors are picking up their pace to head off a potential E. coli outbreak in North Texas, following the theft of more than seven tons of spoiled beef in Fort Worth.

Ahsan Khan, division manager of the food protection and education division of the Dallas Health Department, said an employee of a barber shop in northeast Dallas reported that a suspicious person attempted to sell him ground beef last week. Seven other businesses -- mostly restaurants -- also said they had been solicited by a suspicious individual peddling ground beef, Khan said.

The DHD made the findings during a Monday survey of 80 Dallas businesses.

Inspectors from both the city of Dallas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are increasing their site visits to area restaurants, according to a news release the city issued Tuesday. Dallas restaurant inspectors are also handing out fliers warning against the threat of the tainted meat.

A trailer containing about 14,800 pounds of E. coli-infected ground beef was hauled off from Texas American Food Service in Fort Worth on Dec. 19, according to the city of Dallas. The trailer was recovered near Lake June Road and U.S. 175 in Dallas on Dec. 27, and a health alert was immediately issued.

Senior citizens and children are particularly vulnerable to E. coli 0157:H7 because of their compromised immune systems.

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