US Issues Multi-State Health Alert Over Illegally Imported Meat

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) building is shown in Washington, on July 21, 2007. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health warning for meat products imported from Burma (also known as Myanmar).

The alert applies to various meat and poultry products that were illegally imported from the Southeast Asian nation.

“FSIS is continuing to investigate how these products entered the country,” FSIS announced on Oct. 24. The issue came to the notice of the agency when officials were conducting surveillance activities at a retailer and found the meat products, which are “not eligible to be exported to the U.S.,” according to the announcement.

The products were shipped to retail locations in Arizona, California, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. According to the announcement, the items do not bear an establishment number nor a USDA mark of inspection.

FSIS said there have been no adverse reactions reported from consumption of the items.

“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ pantries and on retailers’ shelves. Retailers who have purchased the products are urged not to sell them. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” said the agency.

The products subject to the recall:

• 180-gram cans containing “BEST BEEF CURRY.”
• 425-gram cans containing “BEST Chicken Biryani.”
• 360-gram cans containing “Hti Mi Gwik Dry MoHinGa Paste.”
• 425-gram cans containing “BEST Myanmar Duck Blood.”
• 400-gram cans containing “Eain Chak MoHinGa Paste.”
• 160-gram vacuum-sealed clear packages containing “Min Thar Gyi Dried Fish.”
• 400-gram cans containing “Eain Chak Coconut Soup Paste.”

Pictures of the Burmese labeling are provided on the agency’s website. All the products are subject to recall, irrespective of their “use-by” dates.

The public health warning was issued following a nationwide recall of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products from Oklahoma-based BrucePac because of concerns they may be adulterated with listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

On Oct. 9, the company pulled nearly 10 million pounds of meat products, citing bacterial contamination risk. The recall was later expanded to include an additional 1.7 million pounds of products, taking the total withdrawn items to nearly 12 million pounds.

On Oct. 17, the FSIS released a list of schools that had bought food products that included the recalled items. More than 200 schools across 17 U.S. states took delivery of BrucePac’s RTE and poultry products.

Recalls and Disease Outbreaks

There have been multiple food recalls in recent months, some of which have been linked to deadly outbreaks. In July, Boar’s Head Provisions Co. withdrew more than 207,000 pounds of liverwurst and other deli meat products citing potential contamination with Listeria bacteria. The recall was later expanded to 7 million pounds of items.

The products were involved in a Listeria outbreak that led to 59 hospitalizations and 10 deaths across 19 U.S. states as of late September, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On Oct. 18, multiple brands of frozen waffle products sold by Illinois-based TreeHouse Foods were pulled from the market, also citing Listeria contamination risks. The items were distributed throughout the United States and Canada, and sold via outlets including Walmart, Target, and Dollar General.

On Oct. 25, McDonald’s said its Quarter Pounder hamburgers were linked to an E. coli outbreak, blaming onions sourced from a supplier as a potential source of contamination.

The CDC noted that the outbreak has resulted in 75 cases of infections as of Oct. 25, including 22 hospitalizations and one death.

Donald Schaffner, distinguished professor in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, pointed out that food safety issues such as those linked to McDonald’s and Boar’s Head are “essentially random events,” according to an Oct. 24 post by the university.

“They don’t occur on a regular schedule so when two events randomly occur within a month or two of each other, it looks like things are getting worse. We might have another big outbreak next month, or it might be several months before food safety is in the news again,” he said.

“Another factor to consider is that the CDC is getting better at linking together cases that might not previously have been linked.”

In order to minimize the chances of food poisoning, Schaffner advised people to ensure their refrigerators are set to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, avoid cross-contamination by washing hands after dealing with raw meat, and use a meat thermometer to check whether meat is cooked adequately.