On May 11, 2022, a public health alert was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for select organic ground beef sold at Whole Foods nationwide. The said organic ground beef is said to contain hard plastic. 

(Photo : Photo credit should read BARBARA SAX/AFP via Getty Images)
A sales assistant portions mincemeat 01 August 2007 in a butcher's shop in Berlin. After a price explosion of dairy products including milk, the German national farmers' union called for higher prices for meat products. AFP PHOTO BARBARA SAX

The ground beef was produced on April 20, 2022, with a use-by-date of May 18, 2022, with the establishment number "EST. 4027."

• 16-oz. vacuum-sealed packages containing "ORGANIC RANCHER ORGANIC GROUND BEEF 93% LEAN 7% FAT" with a use-by date of 5-18-2022.
• 16-oz. Vacuum-sealed packages containing "ORGANIC RANCHER ORGANIC GROUND BEEF 85% LEAN 15% FAT" with a use-by date of 5-18-2022.

There are already consumer reports finding hard, rigid plastic in the ground beef products. On the other hand, there are no reports of illness or adverse reactions during this time. 

No Recall? 

The reason these products are not being recalled anymore is that they are no longer available for purchase. In the case you have these products, the alert was set in place to let people know not to consume them, but to throw or return them. 

Furthermore, consumers can also reach out to the Quality Assurance Manager at NPC Processing Inc., at adamb@npcprocessing.com

Also read: FDA Too Slow To Act on Food Recalls: US Watchdog

Not a First for Whole Foods 

This is not the first for Whole Foods to have the USDA announce a health alert on their products. In February 202, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued public health alter because of the beef meatballs with marinara sauce that were misbranded and produced with an undeclared allergen. 

The products have parmesan cheese made from milk, a known allergen; however, it is not declared on the label. 

A Decline in Whole Foods' Product Quality 

Over the years, the Austine, Texas-based natural foods pioneer has gotten into controversies regarding the products that they offer to the public. In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already sent out a warning to Whole Foods Market for engaging in a pattern of offering misbranded food for sale either by third-party suppliers with misbranded labels or using misbranded labels when repackaging food. 

The warning was due to the series of recalls n 2020 that included over 30 food products sold under the brand. 

There was also controversy surrounding the quality of Whole Foods ever since Amazon acquired the brand in 2017 for $13.6 billion. This has brought a lot of changes implemented by CEO John Mackey, such as price cuts and operational structuring. 

Beef Gone Wrong

Wal-Mart also had to remove popular purchases from its stores due to various recalls and last month, another food item got pulled out-ground beef by Lakeside Refrigerated Services. The recall included 120,800 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E.coli O103, which was discovered during the routine FSIS testing of imported products.

Also earlier this year, Intertstate Meat Distributors Inc. recalled 28,356 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E.coli O157:H7 that was shipped to Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Albertson's in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. 

Related article: Amazon Buys Whole Foods: Here's How The Deal Will Likely Affect Other Food Players

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Written by April Fowell