Officials are issuing an urgent health notice for ground beef products after multiple consumers reported finding foreign metal objects in the meat.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for 16-ounce (1 lb) plastic, vacuum-packed packages containing White Oak Pastures radically traditional farming, grass-fed ground beef.
The beef was produced on February 26, 2026 and had a sell-by date of March 19, 2026.
The product was shipped to an unspecified distributor and Mom’s Organic Markets locations in Washington, DC, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The problem was discovered by the company after it received two complaints from consumers who had found metal fragments in their beef.
There have been no injuries reported in connection to the health alert.
A recall has not been issued because the product is no longer for sale in stores, but it could still be in people’s freezers.
Customers who have purchased this product are urged not to eat the beef and should throw it away or return it to the place of purchase, the FSIS said.
The USDA FSIS issued a public health alert for 16-ounce packages containing White Oak Pastures ground beef (stock photo)
It is not known how the metal fragments ended up in the ground beef, but in previous similar recalls, this has been a result of manufacturing equipment malfunction.
In addition to potentially being dirty and contaminated with bacteria, the metal fragments pose a choking hazard to consumers.
The metal scraps may also cut the mouth, throats, stomachs and intestines of those accidentally ingesting and swallowing them.
The metal may be sharp enough to cause minor or major cuts, as well as lead to internal injuries and bleeding.
Depending on the size of the fragments, an intestinal blockage is also possible.
In a similar recall last month, rice and ramen products were recalled nationwide due to glass shards.
Nearly 37 million pounds of fried rice, ramen, and dumplings sold under popular brand names, including Kroger and Trader Joe’s, were affected due to concerns about glass fragments lurking in the products.
Portland, Oregon-based Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc expanded the recall earlier this month to include nearly 36,987,575 pounds of chicken and pork fried rice, ramen, and shu mai dumpling products after at least four customers reported finding shards of glass in their food.
The USDA labeled it with its most urgent classification, Class I, meaning there is a ‘reasonable probability’ of ‘serious, adverse health consequences or death.’
