An Ohio-based company announced a recall of two of its beef franks products last May 19. The United States Department of Agriculture's Food and Safety Inspection Service stated foreign matter contamination as the reason for the recall.

Possible Metal Contamination

The FSIS classified this current recall with a low health risk as Ohio-based company John Morrell and Co. pulls 210,606 pounds of ready-to-eat beef frank products from the shelves. The reason for the recall is a possibility of the products to be contaminated with extraneous materials, which in this case is metal.

The decision to make the recall was made after three customers complained of metal objects in the product packages, but there are no reports of any injuries or adverse reactions due to the contamination.

The specific products affected by the recall are the 14 oz. Nathan's Skinless 8 Beef Franks, and the 16 oz. Curtis Beef Master Beef Franks. The products are stamped with Use By labels of Aug. 19, 2017 and June 15, 2017 respectively.

Both products affected by the recall has the establishment number "EST. 296" stamped onto the side of the packaging, and were produced last Jan. 26, 2017. These items were shipped to retailers across the country. So far, retailers of the products such as the Stop & Shop supermarkets have announced the removal of the recalled products from their stores.

The USDA FSIS urges anyone who has purchased the recalled products to either throw them away or have them returned to the place of purchase.

No announcements have been made yet regarding the possible source of the metal contamination, but in a similar case of food contamination in March, the metal contaminants in the breaded chicken were traced back to a specific conveyor belt in their processing plant.

Questions about the recall can be addressed to the FSIS by calling this number: 1 (877) 933-4625.

USDA Recall Classifications

The current recall for two beef frank products is considered by the USDA as a Class II recall, which is a classification meant for items that have a remote probability of causing health hazards as a consequence of using the product.

A Class III recall classification points to a situation where the product is unlikely to cause adverse health consequences, whereas a Class I recall refers to the recall of a product that may cause serious health consequences or even death.