Procesadora La Hacienda, of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, is recalling 2,400 pounds of ready-to-eat ground beef products that may be contaminated with foreign materials, specifically soft plastic and metal. These items constitute a choking hazard, or may hurt people who eat it, cutting their mouths or hurting teeth. No illnesses or injuries have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
The corned beef items were produced on October 4, 2018. They include 10 pound boxes containing two 5-pound packages of “PROCESADORA La Hacienda, Inc. CORNED BEEF, TUBED” with a lot date of 10/4/18 and an expiration date of “Exp. 12/4/18.” The products have the establishment number “EST. 21217A” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These corned beef products were shipped to institutions in Puerto Rico.
The product was distributed to schools, but wasn’t part of the food provided by the USDA for the National School Lunch Program. Consumer complaints from schools that received this product triggered this recall.
FSIS is concerned that some of this product may be in school refrigerators or freezers. The government is asking that all schools check their kitchens to make sure they don’t have this product. If they do, it should be immediately returned to the vendor or discarded in a secure garbage can, making sure that other people and animals can’t access it.
Meanwhile, the USDA is conducting recall effectiveness checks to make sure that the firm is notifying all of their customers. They also want to make sure that the recalled product is no longer available for sale.
