More than 90,000 pounds of ground beef products was recalled by Sam Kane Beef Processors of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday due to possible contamination from tiny pieces of metal inside the meat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. By Sunday morning, Texas grocery stores had likely removed the HEB-brand products from their shelves, an executive at the company said.
The meat was shipped between Sept. 9 and Sept. 18 to Texas retail outlets. The USDA received four separate consumer complaints about finding pieces of metal approximately 3 mm in diameter, including one person who suffered from a chipped tooth, a USDA press release said on Saturday, classifying the health risk from the metals as low.
It is a Class II recall, meaning "there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product," the press release stated.
Alfred Bausch, general manager for the company, said all the products were shipped to Texas retail outlets, CNN reported. "It was not a food safety issue," he said. "It was a foreign object and the foreign object was very small."
By Sunday, the 90,987 pounds of contaminated meat was most likely off the shelves in all of the affected stores, Herb Meischen, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Sam Kane, said, according to Reuters.
The press release said these products are subject to recall:
- 3 lb. packages of "HEB Ground Chuck", bearing the establishment number "337", a production date of "09/12/14" and a use by date of "10/02/14".
- 5 lb. packages of "HEB Ground Beef", "73% LEAN 27% FAT", bearing the establishment number "337", a production date of "09/15/14" and a use by date of "10/05/14".
- 10 lb. packages of "HEB Ground Beef", "73% LEAN 27% FAT", bearing the establishment number "337", a production date of "09/18/14" and a use by date of "10/08/14".
- 10 lb. clear film packages of formed patties made from Sam Kane Beef Processors "Ground Chuck", bearing the establishment number "337", a production date of "9/09/14" and a use by date of "9/29/14".
Although North Texas supermarkets in Waxahachie, Ennis, Burleson, Cleburne, Corsicana, Granbury and Mexia are operated by HEB, the retailer's website had no notice of the recall on Saturday night, KHOU reported.
Additionally, stores in Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano and Southlake are owned by Central America, which is HEB's parent company. However, it remains unclear if the stores have been stocked with Sam Kane products and received any of the contaminated meat.
Meanwhile, if you have a question about the recall, contact Herb Meischen of Sam Kane Beef Processors at (361) 241-5000(361) 241-5000 Ext. 250.
Founded in 1949, the company was purchased by a group of Texas ranchers and cattlemen in 2013, according to the company's website.
