Over 500,000 Pounds of Pork Recalled: USDA

A file photo shows pork. (Reuters)

More than 500,000 pounds of pork were recalled, according to an alert from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Produced by Morris Meat Packing, 515,000 pounds of pork products were produced “without the benefit of federal inspection and outside inspection hours,” the USDA said in a news release on Friday.

The items were produced over two years, from Nov. 25, 2017, until Nov. 9, 2019, the release said.

According to the agency, “The products subject to recall bear establishment number ‘EST. 18267’ inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to distributors and retail locations in Illinois.”

The recall was initiated after an anonymous tip was submitted to the USDA about the firm not inspecting its products.

“There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider,” the agency stated, adding that the USDA “is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or 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.”

A list of labels can be viewed on the USA website (pdf).

Salad Recalled

A New Jersey-based firm is recalling more than 97,000 pounds of salad products sold across the United States in Walmart, Target, Giant Eagle, and other locations, according to an alert posted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Missa Bay, LLC. announced the recall Thursday saying the salad products contain meat or poultry that might contain E. coli 0157:H7, according to the agency’s notice. The products were produced between Oct. 14 and Oct. 16, the agency noted.

Those salad products also have the establishment number “EST. 18502B” within the USDA mark of inspection.

They were shipped to distribution locations in numerous states, including Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

“As part of a foodborne illness outbreak investigation, the Maryland Department of Health collected an unopened package of Ready Pac Bistro Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics Caesar Salad with FSIS EST number 18502B on the label. The state collected and tested individual ingredients in the salad, and the lettuce tested positive for E. coli O157: H7. All products from the same lot of lettuce are included in the recall,” said the USDA in the notice.

The USDA listed this recall as a high health risk, saying “there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences,” according to the recall.