The US Department of Agriculture announced that JBS USA, Inc., a North Carolina company, is recalling approximately 35,464 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically hard plastic.
The problem was discovered after the company received a complaint from a consumer who found blue, hard plastic pieces in one of the products.
The ground beef was shipped to distribution centers in Virginia and Indiana and was sold in Kroger stores in Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as Food 4 Less and JayC stores in the Midwest.
About a dozen labels are affected. Among the products recalled are 1-pound and 3-pound trays of “Kroger Ground Beef 80% Lean-20% Fat,” as well as 3-pound trays of “Kroger Ground Beef 73% Lean-27% Fat.”
Other 1-pound packages may be labeled “Kroger Ground Beef 85% Lean-15% Fat” and “Kroger Ground Sirloin 90% Lean-10% Fat Ground Beef,” and Kroger Ground Beef 93% Lean – 7% Fat.”
Other 1-pound packages are labeled “All Natural Laura’s Lean Beef with 92% Lean-8% Fat Ground Beef” and All Natural Laura’s Lean Beef with 96% Lean-4% Fat Ground Beef,” “Private Selection Angus Beef 80% Lean — 20% Fat Ground Chuck,” and Private Selection Angus Beef 90% Lean — 10% Fat Ground Sirloin.”
Also recalled: 15-pound cases labeled “JBS Ground Beef Angus Chuck 80% Lean 20% Fat” and “Ground Beef Angus Sirloin 90% Lean 10% Fat.”
The products carry a sell-by date of April 9, 2018 and a USDA mark with the number EST. 34176.
“We are aware of the JBS recall and have verified that none of these products are in our stores today,” Kristal Howard, a Kroger spokesperson told BuzzFeed News.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is concerned that some products may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
According to the USDA, “there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to the consumption of these products.”