Those who have been following the news about food recently may already know that it has been a rough few months. Though they both recently ended, there were scares about romaine lettuce contaminated with E. coli and more than 200 million eggs that were potentially contaminated with salmonella.
While both of those cases are now over, there seems to be another recall happening for other reasons.
On May 26th, the United States Department of Agriculture announced that it was issuing a Class I recall on more than 200,000 pounds of Hormel Food products.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Hormel Foods is an expansive food company with thousands of employees across the globe. More specifically, they’re also known for packaging a range of meat products including canned meats. It was these products in particular that were called out of circulation by the USDA.
The items in question were SPAM and Black Label Luncheon Loaf, both of which were recalled because the product was said to have metal shards in it.
The cans that are likely to contain shards were packaged between February 8th and February 10th, 2018.
For further explanation, the USDA posted more details on their website:
“The following products are subject to recall:
12-oz. metal cans containing “SPAM Classic” with a “Best By” February 2021 date and production codes: F020881, F020882, F020883, F020884, F020885, F020886, F020887, F020888 and F020889. These products were shipped throughout the United States.
12-oz. metal cans containing “Hormel Foods Black-Label Luncheon Loaf” with a “Best By” February 2021 date and production codes F02098 and F02108. These products were shipped to Guam only.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 199N” on the bottom of the can. These items were shipped throughout the United States and to Guam.”
While the problem with these foods was not related food poisoning or bacteria-related illnesses, the USDA has emphasized how dangerous this threat remains.
While the food items in question have so far only produced some “minor oral injuries” in those who have encountered them, the advisory of a Class I recall indicated a very serious problem. They outlined the severity of the situation on their site as well:
“This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
Fortunately, the news about this issue has broken early and nobody has been seriously injured so far.
While it’s unclear so far as to how these shards got into the food or how far these goods have spread, more updates are expected from the USDA in the coming days. Because canned foods can stay in the pantry for much longer than other kinds of fresh foods can, be sure to carefully check that you don’t have any of these products in your home. While the Black Label Luncheon Loaf is less likely to be on the shelves of Americans who are stateside, SPAM remains a popular product that many of us probably do have at home.
Be sure to spread this news to your friends and stay away from these products until advised otherwise!
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