A public health alert was issued for a ground beef product due to concerns that it may be contaminated with metal, the Food Safety and Inspection Service agency (FSIS) announced on March 23.
The product, 16-ounce vacuum-packs of White Oak Pastures’ “Radically Traditional Farming, Grassfed Ground Beef,” is not being recalled because it is no longer available for purchase, according to the FSIS.
The ground beef’s packaging bears the establishment number “EST 34729” inside the USDA mark of inspection and is stamped on the back with “105761 Sell by 03/19/26.” The item was shipped to a distributor and Mom’s Organic Markets retail locations in Washington, DC, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
White Oak Pastures discovered the issue after receiving two consumer complaints.
“There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a health care provider,” FSIS said.
Still, the agency said it’s concerned the product may be in consumers’ freezers, emphasizing that consumers who have purchased the ground beef products should not consume them.
“These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” the agency said.
Consumers with questions regarding the public health alert can contact Justin Wiley, processing operations manager at White Oak Pastures, at (229) 641-2081 or [email protected].
Additionally, consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or email the agency at [email protected].
Anyone who needs to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product can use the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System, accessible 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Public health alert issued for this ground beef product. Here’s why.
Reporting by Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
