
Already in 2018, hundreds of thousands of pounds of food have been recalled, and wasted, for contamination by extraneous materials.
For each of these recalls, customers were warned against eating the products. Whether thrown away, or returned to the stores/manufacturers to discard, the result is an incredible amount of food wasted.
Few details are provided in the recall notices, so no matter where the extraneous materials were introduced — perhaps due to a butchering error, or machinery failure, or industrial process, or packaging problems — the result is the same: animals were slaughtered in vain, humans were unable to eat the meat products, and costs could potentially be affected all along the farm-butcher-manufacturer-store-customer-table chain.
The newest recall is included below, after brief summaries of similar 2018 recalls to date.
A February 16, 2018 Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. recall affected approximately 101,310 pounds of breaded chicken patties potentially contaminated with rubber.
On March 15, 2018, Johnsonville, LLC recalled approximately 109,603 pounds of smoke pork sausage products for potention contamination with green, hard plastic.
On April 7, 2018, a recall by J.T.M. Provisions, Co. recalled approximately 14,525 pounds of barbequed beef products for potential contamination with rubber.
On April 11, 2018, Koch Foods, Inc. recalled approximately 119,480 pounds of beef rib-shaped patty products for potential contamination with thin blue plastic pieces.
An April 11, 2018 recall by Conagra Brands, Inc. was for approximately 135,159 pounds of Salisbury steak products for potential bone contamination.
See this article on a May 4, 2018 recall for ground beef potentially containing blue, hard plastic. This JBS USA, Inc. recall was for approximately 35,464 pounds of raw ground beef products.
Yet another recall dated May 4, 2018 is included below.
Ed. Note: The total pounds in these 2018 recalls, including the one below, is 565,099 pounds. This is only the recalls listed. Other USDA FSIS recalls for e-coli and other contamination are not included here, nor in the poundage total just given.
Eddy Packing Co., Inc. Recalls Smoked Sausage Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
On May 4, 2018, Eddy Packing Co., Inc., a Yoakum, Texas establishment, recalled approximately 49,558 pounds of smoked sausage products that may be contaminated with foreign matter, specifically hard plastic, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.
The smoked sausage items were originally processed on April 5, 2018, with packing dates of April 5-6, 2018. The following products are subject to recall:
- 2.5-lb. vacuum-packed packages containing “Eddy FULLY COOKED PREMIUM SMOKED SAUSAGE” with sell-by date 6/29/2018, case code PU1642 and lot code 8095.
- 2.5-lb. vacuum-packed packages containing “Eddy FULLY COOKED PREMIUM SMOKED SAUSAGE” with sell-by date 6/30/2018, case code PU1663 and lot code 8096.
- 12-oz. vacuum-packed packages containing “DICKEY’S BARBEQUE PIT ORIGINAL SMOKED FRESH POLISH SAUSAGE MADE WITH PORK AND BEEF” with sell-by date 6/10/2018, case code PU1656 and lot code 8096.
- 40-oz. vacuum-packed packages containing “LOWE’S ORIGINAL RECIPE NATURALLY HARDWOOD SMOKED SAUSAGE MADE WITH PORK AND BEEF” with sell-by date 6/29/2018, case code PU1644 and lot code 8095.
- 10-lb. cases containing “Eddy SMOKED SAUSAGE MADE WITH PORK AND BEEF” with sell-by date 4/6/2019, case code PU1658 and lot code 8096.
- 30-lb. cases containing “CARL’S PORK AND BEEF SMOKED SAUSAGE” with sell-by date 4/6/2019, case code PU1660 and lot code 8096.
- 10-lb. cases containing “Eddy SOUTHERN STYLE PORK AND BEEF SMOKED SAUSAGE” with sell-by date 4/6/2019, case code PU1659 and lot code 8096.
- 20-lb cases with four 5-lb. vacuum-packed packages containing “DICKEY CHEESE/JALAPENO PORK AND BEEF SAUSAGE RING” with sell-by date 4/6/2019, case code PU1655 and lot code 8096.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 4800” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to food service and retail locations in California, Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
The problem was discovered after the company received complaints from a restaurant that pieces of white, hard plastic were found embedded in the sausage during slicing.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. FSIS has received no additional reports of injury or illness from consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.
Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Francisco Montejano, Communications and Public Affairs Officer, Eddy Packing Company at 361.293.2361 x.771.
Source: USDA FSIS