The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for an undetermined amount of imported meat and poultry products from China. A recall was not requested because FSIS has been unable to identify and contact the importers. The total amount of ineligible products is undetermined because the investigation is ongoing.
The products subject to the public health alert and labels are listed here.
The meat and poultry products did not identify an eligible establishment number on their packaging and were not presented to FSIS for import reinspection. These products are ineligible to import into the U.S., making them unfit for human consumption.
The problem was identified through an investigation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). FSIS will continue working with CBP and APHIS on the ongoing investigation.
Retailers who have purchased the products are urged not to sell them. Consumers who bought the products should not consume them and should dispose of them properly. Consumers are asked to dispose of the products by double bagging them to reduce the possibility of animals accessing the products. USDA cannot confirm whether the products were properly heated to control pathogens that affect domestic livestock.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to the consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.
Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday.
Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.
