Ground beef recall sparks warning

Publix Super Markets has issued a voluntary ground beef recall on Friday over a warning that a select batch of its product may potentially have foreign material inside.

In a company announcement on its website, Publix says the recall involves a select batch of Market Ground Beef produced at the store in The Village at Flynn Crossing in Alpharetta, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 29 as it may contain foreign material.

According to the company, the affected products apply to Market Ground Beef with a sell-by date of May 30, 2024, and that no other Publix products or store locations are affected by the recall as products sold on or after Friday, May 31 are not impacted.

“As part of our commitment to food safety, potentially impacted product has been removed from the store shelves,” Maria Brous, Publix director of communications, said in a statement.

Newsweek has reached out to Publix via email for comment.

Food recalls can encompass a range of issues, from bacterial contamination and undeclared allergens to foreign materials in the product or labeling errors.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), foreign materials in meat and poultry products are often non-animal objects such as metal, rubber, glass, wood, steel and lead shot.

While it’s unclear what possible foreign material was found in the affected product or if there were any reports of foreign material, Publix advises consumers the impacted product should be thrown away or returned to the store for a refund.

In addition, the USDA advises consumers if a meat or poultry product may be contaminated with a foreign material, to call the federal agency’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Consumers can also call the store or the product’s manufacturer.

Meanwhile, this is just the latest recall involving ground beef. In early May, numerous beef products were recalled over fears that they may have been contaminated with E.coli, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.

Six ground beef products produced by Cargill Meat Solutions of Pennsylvania were recalled after a previously “segregated product” was inadvertently used in the production of ground mince and burger patties. In all, 16,243 pounds of raw beef was believed to be affected as the products were shipped to Walmart stores in Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New York.

E.coli, is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps in infected humans. Symptoms typically begin around three to four days after being infected, and most people recover within a week.

While the majority of people who become infected will have a mild—although unpleasant—reaction, it can cause serious health problems for some, particularly in children under 5 years old and elderly adults over the age of 65.

The FSIS has warned consumers should check their refrigerators or freezers, and any affected purchases should not be consumed and either be thrown away or returned to the store.

This is also only the latest of food products to be recalled in connection with a wide variety of health warnings. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already announced more than 25 food-related recalls as of April.