Raw Ground Beef Sold at Kroger Stores Under Recall for Plastic Contamination

While the deadly E.coli outbreak with romaine lettuce and the egg recall for salmonella have run the food news circuit, there are still dozens of consumer recalls from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Most recently, ice pops were recalled for listeria and Van's Waffles were recalled for placing regular ol' waffles into gluten-free packaging. Now, JBS USA, Inc. based in Lenoir, N.C. is recalling about 35,464 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, namely hard plastic.

The raw ground beef items were produced on March 22, 2018 so it's possible that these packages could be in your freezers. The following products subject to recall are as follows, per the USDA press release.

  • 3-lb. tray packages containing "Kroger GROUND BEEF 73% LEAN - 27% FAT" with product code 95051, UPC: 011110975645, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 1-lb. tray packages containing "Kroger GROUND BEEF 80% LEAN - 20% FAT" with product code 95052, UPC: 011110969729, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 3-lb. tray packages containing "Kroger GROUND BEEF 80% LEAN - 20% FAT" with product code 95053, UPC of 011110969705, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 1-lb. tray packages containing "PRIVATE SELECTION ANGUS BEEF 80% LEAN - 20% FAT GROUND CHUCK" with product code 95054, UPC: 011110971395, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 1-lb. tray packages containing "Kroger GROUND BEEF 85% LEAN - 15% FAT" with product code 95055, UPC: 011110969682, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 1-lb. tray packages containing "Kroger GROUND SIRLOIN 90% LEAN - 10% FAT GROUND BEEF" and product code 95056, UPC: 011110975638, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 1-lb. tray packages containing "ALL NATURAL LAURA'S LEAN BEEF 92% LEAN 8% FAT GROUND BEEF" with product code 95057, UPC: 612669316714, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 1-lb. tray packages containing "ALL NATURAL LAURA'S LEAN BEEF 96% LEAN 4% FAT GROUND BEEF" with product code 95058, UPC: 612669317063, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 1-lb. tray packages containing "PRIVATE SELECTION ANGUS BEEF 90% LEAN - 10% FAT GROUND SIRLOIN" with product code 95063, UPC: 011110969637 and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 1-lb. tray packages containing "Kroger GROUND BEEF 93% LEAN - 7% FAT" with product code 95064, UPC: 01111096920, and a Sell By date of 4/9/2018.
  • 15-lb. cases containing "JBS Ground Beef Angus Chuck 80% Lean 20% Fat Service Case" with Case UPC: 0040404800632 and a "Sell By: 9.APRIL."
  • 15-lb. cases containing "Ground Beef Angus Sirloin 90% Lean 10% Fat Service Case" Case UPC: 0040404800634, and a "Sell By: 9.APRIL."

The products subject to the recall bear "EST. 34176", the establishment number in the USDA mark of inspection. A consumer complaint launched the recall after one reported finding hard blue plastic pieces inside the products.

There have been no confirmed reports of injuries or adverse reactions, but FSIS is most concerned that consumers have these packages in their freezers. The ground beef was shipped to Virginia and Indiana for further inspection, but was distributed to retail locations nationwide.

Watch: These Are Dolly Parton's 5 Favorite Recipes