Tennessee Company Recalls 16,000 Pounds of Ready-to-Eat Frozen Food Products

A Coco's Italian Market product, the beef ravioli, that is being recalled by the USDA. (USDA FSIS)

Coco’s Italian Market, a Nashville, Tennessee company, is recalling approximately 16,868 pounds of ready-to-eat meat products due to having not been federally inspected before production, according to a news release issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday, July 24.

As indicated by the news release, the USDA has classified this recall as a Class I recall, which means that this situation is possibly a health hazard, and there’s reason to believe that eating or using the product may cause serious health consequences or death.

The food products that are being recalled are produced by the company between the dates of January 2019 through to July 2020, as indicated by the news release, and consist of the following items:

• 16-oz. clear plastic bag packages containing 4 pieces of “Coco’s ITALIAN MARKET Fully Cooked Italian Meatballs” and a USDA mark of inspection represented on the label.
• 15-oz. plastic-wrapped plastic covered containers containing “Coco’s ITALIAN MARKET Take-n-Bake BEEF RAVIOLI WITH LUCIANA'S MARINARA SAUCE.”
• 16-in. plastic-wrapped cardboard trays containing “Coco’s ITALIAN MARKET Take-n-Bake Hand Made Pepperoni Pizza” with a USDA mark of inspection represented on the pepperoni label.
• 7-in. plastic-wrapped cardboard trays containing “Coco’s ITALIAN MARKET Take-n-Bake Hand Made Pepperoni Pizza” with a USDA mark of inspection represented on the pepperoni label.

“The problem was discovered when the Tennessee Department of Agriculture observed products produced by Coco’s Italian Market in retail locations labeled with the federal marks of inspection,” according to the USDA news release. Other issues were also discovered during this check, such as the lack of net weight indicated on the packaging belonging to the pepperoni pizza.

Because these products were produced without the benefit of an inspection by the USDA, there is no establishment indicated in the USDA inspection mark, according to the news release. All of these products in question were shipped to various stores and retail locations across Tennessee.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service advises that individuals who have bought the affected items should not consume them—instead, they should either be thrown away or returned to where they were bought. Distributors and sellers should refrain from selling these items.

As of current, there have not been any reports of anyone suffering from any adverse reactions following consumption of the product, according to the news release.

The USDA also advises that individuals should visit their medical providers in case they worry about possible reactions.