Reports of Oral Injuries Led to Recall of More Than 228,000 Pounds of Spam, Other Hormel Products
More than 228,000 pounds of spam, as well as another product by Hormel, is now under recall by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At least four consumers have complained about metal objects in the food, and there was at least one report of "oral injury" according to the agency.
"Minor oral injuries" has been reported to the USDA, and the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service has narrowed down the culprit to a batch of canned chicken and pork produced in February. The suspected batch of spam originated from Hormel's plant in Fremont, Nebraska, according to NBC News.
According to the FSIS, they were notified of the recall on Friday, May 25. "There have been reports of minor oral injuries associated with consumption of the products. FSIS has received no additional reports of injury or illness from consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider," the news release from the agency said.
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FSIS is now warning the public that the 12-ounce metal cans of "SPAM Classic," the ones that are also marked "EST. 199N," should not be eaten. These cans also have a "Best By" date of February 2021 as well, according to CNN.
For further identification, the cans from these suspected batch are labeled with the production codes F020881, F020882, F020883, F020884, F020885, F020886, F020887, F020888 and F020889.
The FSIS has also put out a sample of the labels from the cans under the recall. The agency is concerned that some of these cans may have made it to the pantries and kitchen shelves of consumers, and are now urging them to check the labels and to not consume the products if they are under recall.
It's not just the popular chicken and pork product affected by the recall. The USDA FSIS also identified possibly contaminated cans of meat called "Hormel Food Black-Label Luncheon Loaf."
These 12-ounce metal cans have been distributed to Guam, and they are to be avoided as well due to contamination from foreign matter or metal pieces which might result in oral injuries. The cans for recall can be identified by their "Best By" date of February 2021, and carry the production codes F02098 and F02108.
Any products identified to be among those under recall should be returned to the store or simply thrown away, according to the FSIS.
For its part, Hormel came out with a statement saying that the Minnesota-based company is recalling the batches "out of an abundance of caution," adding that "the health and safety of consumers is our top concern."
Consumers that have questions about this recall can also call Hormel Foods at their Consumer Response hotline, (800) 523-4635.
