USDA Releases Public Health Alert For Ground Beef Products That May Contain Plastic

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert on May 11 for two ground beef products that may contain hard plastic. The products that were produced on April 20, 2022 weren't recalled because they are no longer available to buy. However, if you have ground beef stashed in the freezer, you'll want to check the package.

Organic Rancher Organic Ground Beef products purchased from Whole Foods with a use by date of May 18, 2022 should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

The alert was issued after consumers complained about finding hard, rigid plastic in their ground beef products. But there have been no confirmed reports of illness or adverse effects due to the consumption of these products.

The impacted Organic Rancher products were shipped to Whole Foods Markets nationwide and include:

• 16-oz. vacuum-sealed packages containing "ORGANIC RANCHER ORGANIC GROUND BEEF 93% LEAN 7% FAT" with a use by date of 5-18-2022.
• 16-oz. vacuum-sealed packages containing "ORGANIC RANCHER ORGANIC GROUND BEEF 85% LEAN 15% FAT" with a use by date of 5-18-2022.

You can find package label images here.

If you have any questions regarding this public health alert, you can contact Adam Bushell, Quality Assurance Manager at NPC Processing Inc., at adamb@npcprocessing.com.