USDA Health Alerts to Consider This Thanksgiving

By Brian White | November 23, 2020

Category: Food

People sit around a table and eat - health alert

As the coronavirus outbreak has families preparing for Thanksgiving differently this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has important health alerts about other possible hazards waiting at the dinner table.

The federal agency this month has issued four health alerts, including ones for mislabeled allergens and pieces of metal or plastic found, on various types of foods.

The USDA’s latest health alert is on prepared chicken and beef samosas made by Tee Yih Jia Food Manufacturing. The agency says the company used milk, an allergen, without listing the ingredient on the label. No one has had any reported reactions, according to the USDA, and the health alert was issued out of caution.

An official recall has not been made yet as the USDA is still investigating this matter. The batches of samosas in question were sold in California, Texas and New York since last year.

Another health alert was issued Nov. 15 when Tucson Tamale Wholesale Co. found pieces of hard plastic in cans of diced tomatoes used to make the product. The cans of tomatoes were already recalled, according to the USDA. The health alert applies to chicken and pork green chile tamales sold between Oct. 22 and Nov. 9.

While no one has reported being hurt yet, the USDA warned these pieces of plastic could create a choking hazard or injure teeth or gums.

Beyond bits of plastic, another health alert on foreign objects in food was issued this month.

Convenience store chain Kwik Trip recalled its take home spaghetti-and-meatball dinners after shards of metal were found embedded in the meatballs.

A stack of tamales - health alert The meals were made Oct. 1, according to the USDA, and sold between Oct. 17 and Nov. 1. The agency issued the health alert after consumers complained, but said no one has reported injuries. A recall was not issued because the product is no longer being made.

A health alert was also issued on certain brand of beef stock. The USDA says Wegmans Beef Culinary “no salt added” stock was imported from Canada without inspection around Nov. 5.

Officials with the agency say although there have been no issues reported, consumers should throw out their 32-ounce cartons of the product with the codes 5MAR2022 and 26MAR2022 on the label. The stock was shipped to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York.

The health alerts join at least two active lettuce product recalls issued in November.

Potential E. coli contamination led Tanimura & Antle Inc. to recall its heads of romaine lettuce Nov. 6 out of caution. Fresh Express Cesar kits had a similar issue with the deadly pathogen in an “isolated incident,” prompting another recall Nov. 17.

USDA officials are advising consumers to check their freezers and refrigerators for these products and to either throw them away or contact the company for a refund.

Meanwhile, under President Donald Trump’s administration, the USDA has moved to privatize pork inspections, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and speed up the back-breaking work of processing chickens on the assembly line, Civil Eats reported.

The changes on pork inspections had the Office of Inspector General investigating whether the USDA inappropriately hid safety data on workers, according to The Washington Post.

So far this year, the USDA has recalled 12 food products and issued 14 health alerts.

Guaranteeing food safety is a key role of the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recalls, health alerts and warning letters to food makers all serve as tools to make this happen.

Under the Trump administration, the FDA has sent one-third the number of warning letters to companies than under previous presidents, according to a Science Magazine report.

Let us know in the comments below how you take USDA health alerts into consideration when planning your meals.