The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) food safety and inspection service reported today (26 August 2015) concerns that the products might go off before their marked ‘best when used by’ date.
The products being recalled are 56oz cardboard boxes of Selects Uncured Turkey Bacon with 'best when used by' dates between 24 August to 26 October; 36oz boxes of Smoked Cured Turkey Chopped and Formed with best when used by dates between 28 August and 20 October; and 48oz Smoked Cured Turkey Chopped and Formed with best when used by dates between 3 September and 30 October.
The products subject to recall bear the establishment number ‘P-9070’ inside the USDA mark of inspection, as well as the line number ‘RS19’. The items were shipped across the US and exported to the Bahamas and St Martin.
Complaints
The problem was discovered after Kraft Heinz investigated complaints by consumers that the products were going off sooner than the dates on the pack. Although the company received reports of consumers becoming ill, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said it had “not received any confirmed reports of adverse reactions related to the consumption of these products”.
It is not the first time Kraft has had to recall Oscar Meyer products at considerable cost. Last April, Kraft was forced to recall 43,500kg of Oscar Meyer wieners worth $385,000 after its cheese dogs were incorrectly labelled dairy-free.
Kraft Heinz Foods was formed on 2 July following the successful completion of the merger between Kraft and Heinz. The transaction created the third-largest food and beverage company in North America and the fifth-largest in the world.