Last week Rancho Feeding, a California beef producer, had nearly 9m pounds of its products recalled by the USDA after it learned meat from allegedly diseased animals had entered the supply chain without proper inspection. Read the original FoodProductionDaily article here.
Contamination concerns
Edie Burge, corporate and brand affairs representative for Nestlé USA, told FoodProductionDaily.com the company initiated the recall after hearing one of its suppliers in the Hot Pockets chain procured meat from Rancho Feeding.
“We did not purchase meat directly from the Rancho Feeding,” she said. “We purchased a small quantity of meat from one of our direct suppliers which was used in limited batches of Hot Pockets brand Philly Steak and Cheese products.”
Burge said the recalled sandwiches (a total of 238,000 cases) were manufactured at the company’s Chatsworth, California facility, which is dedicated solely to Hot Pockets production, in 2013. All of the products involved have been traced, she added.
Attention to safety
To date, no illnesses tied to contaminated Rancho Feeding meat or products made with the meat in question have been reported. However, Burge told FPD, the company is committed to being proactive in protecting consumer health.
“We are dedicated to food quality and the health and safety of our consumers,” she said. “For these reasons, we initiated this recall after hearing about this recall and reviewing our vendor records.”
Cartons of Hot Pockets affected in the recall should be returned to the retail location they were purchased from. Burge added additional questions should be directed to Nestlé Consumer Services, 800-392-4057.