Al Shabrawy Meat of New Jersey is expanding their August 6, 2016 recall of meat and poultry products for misbranding and undeclared allergens. The first recall is for basterma, sausage, soujouk, salami, mortadella, makanek, and bologna products for pistachio and soy, two of the major food allergens, that are not declared on the label. The recall is expanded because all package sizes and brands of the products produced during the initial recall dates are misbranded.
The basterma, sausage, soujouk, salami, mortadella, makanek, bologna, Lahmajun (meat pie) and other sausage-like items were produced on various dates between January 1, 2015 and August 4, 2016. They include these products that were cryovaced and weighed at the time of sale: TAZAH, SULTAN, & YORUK SLICED BASTERMA; AL MARAAI, AL HALU, BAROODY, & AL SHABRAWY SLICED AND WHOLE BASTERMA; AL SHABRAWY, TAZAH, & BAROODY MAKANEK; TAZAH EGYPTIAN STYLE FRESH SAUSAGE; AL SHABRAWY FRESH SAUSAGE; BAROODY & SULTAN DRIED SOUJOUK; and SEVAN LAHMAJUN. Also recalled are 1 pound plastic chubs of AL SHABRAWY PLAIN, OLIVE, & BLACK PEPPER SALAMI, 5 pound plastic chubs of AL SHABRAWY PLAIN, OLIVE, & BLACK PEPPER SALAMI, 1 pound plastic chubs of AL SHABRAWY OLIVE & PISTACHIO MORTADELLA, and 5 pound plastic chubs of AL SHABRAWY OLIVE & PISTACHIO MORTADELLA.
The products have the establishment number “EST. 19160” inside the USDA mark of inspection. They were shipped to retail locations and wholesalers in California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The major public health concerns include listing hydrolyzed plant protein in the ingredient statement of the beef bologna and beef mortadella, but not specifying that soy, an allergen, is the source of that protein. Also, the beef mortadella products did not declare pistachio nut, an allergen, on individual package ingredient statements, although some cases of the product display a sticker stating “Pistachio” was in the product. FSIS also found that beef salami and beef bologna products contained poultry ingredients and a sausage product tested positive for Red Dye #40, which is not declared on product labels. Additionally, raw beef trim, designated for cooking only, was used in raw non-intact finished products.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions linked to the consumption of these products. If you bought any of these products and are allergic to any of the ingredients listed, do not eat them. Throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund. You can see pictures of the recalled product labels at the USDA web site.