By: Richard L. Smith
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for ready-to-eat meat and poultry products illegally imported from the Philippines.
The Philippines is not authorized to export these products to the United States, and FSIS is currently investigating how they entered the country.
The affected products are:
- 150-g. can of "Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF."
- 175-g. can of "Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF."
- 260-g. can of "Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF."
- 150-g. can of "PUREFOODS CORNED BEEF."
- 210-g. can of "PUREFOODS CORNED BEEF."
- 150-g. can of "CHUNKEE CORNED BEEF."
- 190-g. can of "CHUNKEE CORNED BEEF."
- 7.43-oz. jar of "Lady's Choice Chicken Spread."
These products, which do not have any producing establishment information, were distributed to restaurant and retail locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia.
The issue was discovered during FSIS's routine surveillance activities at a retailer, where meat and poultry products from the Philippines were found.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions from consuming these products, but FSIS advises anyone concerned about an illness to contact a healthcare provider.
FSIS is particularly worried that some of these products might still be in consumers' and restaurants' pantries and on retailers' shelves.