Ground Beef Products Sent to Connecticut Schools Recalled

Government officials on Monday said ground beef-based food items shipped to Connecticut schools as part of the federal lunch program are being recalled because traces of plastic might be found in them.

Mansfield, Texas-based Goodman Food Products, Texas, Inc., is recalling about 34,400 pounds of fully cooked ground beef products that may be contaminated with "extraneous materials, specifically hard, white plastic," the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced.

The food was also shipped to some schools in Maine, according to the USDA.

The frozen, "fully cooked ground beef patty and crumble items" were produced on August 2, 2017.

The following products are subject to recall:

• 40-lb. cases of “Don Lee Farms FULLY COOKED BEEF PATTY CRUMBLES” with lot code 5886A7214, case code CNG36100 and “Best if used within” date of August 2, 2018.
• 40-lb. cases of “Don Lee Farms FULLY COOKED HOMESTYLE BEEF PATTY” with lot code 5886A7214, case code CNG38220 and “Best if used within” date of August 2, 2018.

View the labels here.

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 5886A” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The products were purchased by USDA Foods for the National School Lunch Program, officials said.

The problem was discovered after the company and the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Services received consumer complaints about hard, white plastic material found in the ground beef, officials said.

USDA officials said there have been no confirmed reports of "adverse reactions" from anyone eating the beef.

Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should "contact a healthcare provider," USDA officials said.

Federal officials said they are "concerned" that the beef may be in school freezers or refrigerators, especially this late in the school year. They are urging schools not to use the beef.

USDA officials said consumers with questions about the recall can contact Donald Goodman, President, Goldman Food Products, Texas, Inc. at 310-674-3180.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the school lunch "virtual representative" at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov.

The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) and is open from from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (eastern time) Monday through Friday.

The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.

Photo Credit: USDA

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