The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for raw ground beef products imported from South American due to concerns that the ground beef may contain hard plastic.
Shipped to Whole Foods stores across the U.S., the ground beef was sold under the label “Organic Rancher.” A recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase. However, there is concern that consumers may have the product in their home refrigerators or freezers.
The ground beef products were produced on April 20, 2022 in 16 oz vacuum-sealed packages that read either “ORGANIC RANCHER ORGANIC GROUND BEEF 93% LEAN 7% FAT” or “ORGANIC RANCHER ORGANIC GROUND BEEF 85% LEAN 15% FAT.”
The problem was discovered after the firm received complaints from consumers reporting they found hard, rigid plastic in the ground beef products. The firm then notified FSIS of the issue. There have been no confirmed reports of illness or adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.
The packaging reads that the beef was “Born, Raised and Harvested in Uruguay and Argentina.” The company claims the cattle are pasture raised with no antibiotics or hormones used. The beef also received Whole Foods Global Animal Partnership (GAP 4) certification.
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USDA-FSIS
