CINCINNATI — The Kroger Co. is recalling ground beef sold in some of its grocery stores.

JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo., earlier voluntarily expanded a beef recall because of possible E. coli contamination. Kroger says the suspect beef was sold under its store brands in more than a dozen states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said an investigation by its Food Safety and Inspection Service of 24 illnesses in multiple states prompted Swift to re-examine its food safety system, leading to the recall.

Kroger says packages with “sell by” dates of April 27 to June 1 are included. They were available in Kroger stores in the Cincinnati-Dayton region, western Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Illinois and eastern Missouri, and also under other Kroger-owned banners in some western states.