Procesadora La Hacienda, Inc. Recalls Beef Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2019 Procesadora La Hacienda, Inc., a San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico establishment, is recalling approximately 4,940 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) corned beef products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of metal, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The RTE corned beef items were produced on Feb. 28, 2019. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels (PDF only)]

• 10-lb. boxes containing two 5-lb. packages of Productos La Hacienda, with lot code 022819 and expiration date of Exp. 042919.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number EST. 21217A inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to institutions in Puerto Rico. While the product was distributed to schools, it resulted from a commercial sale and was not part of food provided by the USDA for the National School Lunch Program.

The problem was discovered on March 7, 2019 when the establishment received a consumer complaint from the School Program of Puerto Rico. Specifically, the establishment reported receiving a complaint indicating that a school found a piece of metal embedded in a chub of corned beef.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in school freezers or refrigerators. School nutrition professionals who have purchased these products are urged not to prepare or consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers and members of the media with questions about commercially produced food products affected by the recall can contact Wilfredo Figueroa, vice president of Procesadora La Hacienda, at (787) 612-7276.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.