Smithfield recalls mislabelled pork loins

Smithfield Packing Company of Clinton, North Carolina (NC) USA, and Tar Heel, NC are recalling about 216,238 pounds of Portobello Mushroom flavoured pork loins because some of the product may contain an undeclared allergen.

The product was prepared using an ingredient blend that contained whey ( from milk ), a known allergen, which was not declared on the label, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service ( FSIS ) announced today.

The products subject to recall are:

Various weight individual packages of “Smithfield Portobello Mushroom Pork Loin Filet.”

The products subject to recall bear the USDA mark of inspection on the label and EST. 413 or EST. 18079 inside the mark of inspection. Affected products from EST. 413 bear a use by date ranging from 12/26/10 to 6/03/11. Affected products from EST. 18079 bear a use by date ranging from 1/16/11 to 4/24/11. These products were distributed in retail outlets in Ala., Fla., Ill., Ky., Md., Mass., Miss., N.C., N.J., N.Y., Pa., S.C., Tenn., Texas, and Va. While the sell-by dates for many of these products has passed, FSIS and the establishment are aware that consumers may also freeze the product before use and there is concern that some product may still be frozen and in consumers’ freezers.

The company recently reformulated the product. During an internal label review by the firm it was discovered that the label of the Portobello spice being utilized did not match the ingredient list of the final product. FSIS and the company have received no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and to ensure that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.