WASHINGTON, June 21, 2018 – Agri Star Meat and Poultry LLC, a Postville, Iowa establishment, is recalling approximately 3,592 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) beef pastrami products due to processing deviations that may have led to underprocessing of products and resulted in inadequate curing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The RTE beef pastrami items were produced on April 3 and April 4, 2018. The following products are subject to recall:
- 21.6-lb. average case weight of fully cooked pastrami that are vacuum-packed using clear plastic and labeled “Aaron’s BEST Beef French Roast Pastrami WATER & CARRAGEENAN PRODUCT.” Both the product and the shipping box display a sticker indicating “BEST BEFORE 09/10/18.”
- 23.1-lb. average case weight of fully cooked pastrami that are vacuum-packed using clear plastic and labeled “SHOR HABOR GLATT KOSHER Beef French Roast Pastrami WATER & CARRAGEENAN PRODUCT.” Both the product and the shipping box display a sticker indicating “BEST BEFORE 09/11/2018.”
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 4653A” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to distributors in California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Washington.
The problem was discovered on June 20, 2018, after the firm received a consumer complaint about product discoloration. The firm conducted an investigation and product testing and determined that not all products contained an adequate amount of the curing solution. The establishment notified FSIS on June 21, 2018.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.
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.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.
Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Lisa Beatty, Quality Assurance Manager at 563-864-7811 or Yaakov Labowitz, Vice President of Sales, at 514-648-8171 ext. 260.
Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone atm.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.