A warning has been issued to consumers after a chorizo product was discovered to contain hard plastic and metal fragments.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert on May 2 regarding a raw pork chorizo product produced by the San Antonio Packing Company, part of Apco Brand Meats. The warning was issued after a customer reported finding pieces of hard plastic and metal.
The product, labeled "LEAN apco BRAND MEATS ALL NATURAL PREMIUM CHORIZO," was distributed to H-E-B grocery stores in Texas. The product label is white with red and black lettering and bears the establishment number "EST. 602" inside the USDA mark of inspection. It has a best buy date of May 12, 2024.
The product is not being recalled as it is no longer available to purchase, but the FSIS is concerned that consumers may still have the product in their fridge or freezer at home. Anyone who has purchased the chorizo product should either throw it away or return it to the place of purchase, the FSIS advises.
So far, there have been no reported illnesses or injuries from consuming the product. Newsweek has contacted the San Antonio Packing Company for comment via email outside of normal working hours. According to the FSIS website, this is the first time a product from the company has faced a public health alert.
Foreign objects being discovered in food is rarer than other common recall reasons, such as bacterial or viral contamination or the presence of undeclared allergens. Earlier this year, more than 100,000 pounds of turkey kielbasa products were recalled after the product was discovered to have fragments of bone inside. The FSIS confirmed at the time that one of the complainants suffered a "minor oral injury" after eating the product.
In December 2023, more than 25,000 pounds of boneless chicken bites were recalled following the discovery of a clear, hard plastic within the items.
The FSIS says that anyone with food safety queries can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online electronic consumer complaint monitoring system can be accessed 24 hours a day here.
Anyone with queries for the San Antonio Packing Company regarding the product can contact its operations manager, David Roe, on 210-224-5441 or via email at Operations@realchorizo.com.
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