USDA Issues Health Alert on Ground Beef After ‘Foreign Material’ Found

Two complaints were submitted to the producer, leading to the discovery of the problem, the agency says.

People shop for groceries at a store in Mount Laurel, N.J., on Feb. 5, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Monday it is issuing an alert on a ground beef product across five states due the possibility it “may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically metal.”

The product is White Oak Pastures, Radically Traditional Farming, Grassfed Ground Beef, sold in 16-ounce packages in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, as well as in the District of Columbia, the USDA said in a statement.

It was sold at Mom’s Organic Markets retail locations in those states and in Washington.

The product has the establishment number EST 34729 and has a “sell-by” date of March 19, 2026, with a code of 105761 on vacuum-sealed plastic packaging, according to the USDA. The USDA also uploaded a photo of the product’s labels, and said the product was produced on Feb. 26, 2026.

Two complaints were submitted to the company, leading to the discovery of the problem, the USDA said.

No reports of injuries have been reported to the company or to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service in connection with consumption of the ground beef, it added.

The USDA said the products are no longer available in stores and, as a result, it did not request a recall from the company.

Still, officials are “concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers,” said the USDA.

“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,” the alert reads.

Anyone with health concerns relating to the subject ground beef should contact a health care provider, the USDA said. And consumers with questions about the product can contact White Oak Pastures at 1-229-641-2081 or [email protected], it stated.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a health alert for White Oak Pastures, Radically Traditional Farming, Grassfed Ground Beef, with the labeling seen above, on March 23, 2026. USDA via The Epoch Times

The notice comes days after the USDA sent out a health alert for frozen ready-to-eat turkey pastry products due to a misbranding problem.

The USDA stated on March 13 that an alert was issued for 25.4-ounce boxes containing eight pieces of “LA BOULANGERIE TURKEY PESTO & SWISS CHEESE POCKETS” that have lot code 04926 and “best by” date of Feb. 18, 2027, printed on the packaging. The products were sold at Costco locations across the Midwest, it stated.

“Some boxes of the turkey, pesto, and cheese stuffed pastries contain ham and cheese instead,” said the agency. There was no recall because the products are no longer available for purchase, according to the USDA.

The USDA also sent out a health alert for March 1 for beef jerky products sold in Hawaii and online due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen.