US Foods, an Alabama-based food distributor, announced a voluntary recall of around 712 pounds of fresh and frozen raw beef and pork on July 20 over the possibility that the products may be contaminated with human blood. It is suspected that an employee at the facility may have cut himself during the production of these items.
While it can never hurt to check the food in your kitchen, it’s reported that this meat was shipped to restaurants in a handful of Southern states and that there were no retail sales of the food.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the meat was produced on July 18 and distributed to restaurants in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The brand names include Stock Yards Angus, Cattleman’s Selection, Patuxent Farms and SRA.
Although there have not been any known illnesses stemming from this possible contamination, the USDA labeled this a “Class 1” recall, meaning it’s a “health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
Restaurants are urged to check their freezers and throw away any recalled meat. Recalled products may also be returned to the place of purchase for a refund.
Concerned consumers in the states where the meat was sold may also want to avoid ordering meat entrees over the course of the next week or clarify with restaurant managers beforehand to ensure that no affected meat is being served. Some of the recalled items are popular cuts of meat like ribeye and porterhouse steaks, as well as pork chops and beef short ribs. They are identifiable by a stamp with “EST. 21103” labeled inside the USDA seal.
For more information and a full list of products being recalled, visit the USDA website. See the labels associated with the recalled products.
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