Some 93,697 pounds of raw ground beef products produced by Texas' Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., are being recalled by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, because of possible contamination with a "foreign matter."
The Texan company first notified the FSIS of the problem after receiving calls from customers complaining about finding "mirror-like" material in the products, which had been bought from grocery stores across the state.
According to the FSIS, the problem is limited to the items produced on November 2, 2022, information that customers can find on the packaging of the products. Those recalled—which were shipped to retailers in Texas—can be identified with the establishment number "EST. 245E" printed on the "seam of the chub."
The products affected by the recall, and by the possible contamination, are:
- - 10-lb. chubs containing "HILL COUNTRY FARE GROUND BEEF 73% LEAN/ 27% FAT with BEST BEFORE OR FREEZE BY: NOV 25, 2022";
- - 5-lb. chubs containing "HILL COUNTRY FARE GROUND BEEF 73% LEAN/ 27% FAT with BEST BEFORE OR FREEZE BY: NOV 25, 2022";
- - 5-lb. chubs containing "H-E-B GROUND CHUCK GROUND BEEF 80% LEAN/ 20% FAT".
There were no reported adverse consequences for customers who might have consumed the products, according to the FSIS, but the public health regulator warned people who might still have the products in their fridges or freezers not to consume them, but to throw them away or return them to their place of purchase.
Tyson Fresh Meats has a consumer hotline, available at 1-855-382-3101, for anyone with questions about the product recall. Newsweek contacted Tyson Fresh Meats for comment.
The Amarillo Texas beef plant is owned by the multinational Arkansas-based Tyson Foods group, the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after the Brazilian JBS S.A.
The group currently operates beef plants in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois and Washington, according to information available on Tyson Foods' website.
The Texas beef plant employs 4,000 team members and generates an annual payroll of $180 million, according to Tyson Foods. All across the state of Texas, the company reportedly receives cattle from close to 90 independent suppliers and it's estimated to have a total economic impact of nearly $3 billion.
In August this year, the company announced a $200 million investment in the Amarillo plant, "to expand and upgrade operations and build a new team member well-being area," according to a news release by the company. The upgrade to the facility, which won't involve new hiring, is expected to be completed by 2024.
Last week, on November 9, the FSIS ordered the recall of another beef product, the frozen beef dumplings produced by California establishment Menu19 LLC between November 2020 and October 23, 2022. According to the agency, some 5,001 pounds of frozen beef dumpling products "were produced without the benefit of federal inspection."
The items, which don't show the USDA mark of inspection, were shipped to restaurants and retailers in California.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
