Whether for misbranding or contamination, food companies have been riddled with recalls at an increasingly alarming rate so far in 2017. Just in June alone, more than 13 food distributors listed recalls on products for reasons of possible listeria, water contamination and undeclared allergens on product labels.
Conagra Brands is the latest food company to issue a nationwide recall, for over 700,000 pounds of Chef Boyardee products. In a statement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Friday that various spaghetti and meatball selections were recalled because of misbranding.
Some of the products contained milk, which is a commonly known allergen. However, many of the products produced on January 5 and 12 did not declare the allergen on the label, prompting a recall of approximately 700,125 pounds of pasta products packaged in 14.75-ounce cans.
The problem was first discovered on June 6, 2017, after Conagra received an alert from one of its ingredient suppliers regarding bread crumbs that had been used in some Chef Boyardee products. The supplier had distributed bread crumbs, some of which had been made with milk, to be used in Chef Boyardee products. The allergen's presence hadn't been declared in the bread crumbs before Chef Boyardee received the ingredient, the USDA said.
No reports of illness or adverse reactions to the Chef Boyardee products have been confirmed so far.
The USDA advised anyone who may have purchased items with the establishment number "EST.794M" listed inside the USDA inspection mark to throw the products away or return them to the place of purchase. All of the affected Chef Boyardee products will also include the package code 2100700500 and a use-by date of December 26, 2018, as well as package code 2100701200 and a use-by date of January 2, 2019.
See the full list of recalled items below:
- 131,718 pounds of 14.75-ounce cans with "Libby's Spaghetti and Meatballs MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN AND BEEF IN TOMATO SAUCE" on the label, with package code 2100701200 and use-by date 01/02/19.
- 71,614 pounds of 14.75-ounce cans with "Del Pino's SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN AND BEEF IN TOMATO SAUCE" on the label, with package code 2100701200 and use-by date 01/02/19.
- 38,330 pounds of 14.75-ounce cans with "Hy-Top Spaghetti and Meatballs Made With Pork, Chicken and Beef in Tomato Sauce" on the label, with package code 2100701200 and use-by date 01/02/19.
- 22,064 pounds of 14.75-ounce cans with "Food Hold Spaghetti & Meatballs MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN AND BEEF IN TOMATO SAUCE" on the label, with package code 2100701200 and use-by date 01/02/19.
- 21,975 pounds of 14.75-ounce cans with "Essential EVERYDAY Spaghetti with Meatballs Made With Pork, Chicken and Beef in Tomato Sauce" on the label, with package code 2100701200 and use-by date 01/02/19.
- 414,424 pounds of 14.75-ounce cans with "Chef BOYARDEE Mini pasta shells & meatballs, Pasta and Meatballs made with Pork, Chicken and Beef in Tomato Sauce" on the label, with package code 2100700500 and use-by date 12/26/18.
On Friday, Tyson Foods issued a recall of a whopping 2,485,374 pounds of ready-to-eat breaded chicken products after the meat was packaged without declaring a milk allergen on the label. That same day, CC Kitchens had to recall 2,415 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry salad products that were suspected of having listeria contamination.
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