Beef Sold At CO Whole Foods Stores Could Contain Plastic, USDA Warns

COLORADO — A brand of organic ground beef — sold in Whole Foods stores in Colorado and the rest of the country — could contain hard plastic, federal officials warned. A recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service put out the public health alert Wednesday, which warns that the following products are subject to the health alert:

• 16-ounce vacuum-sealed packages containing "Organic Rancher Organic Ground Beef 93 Percent Lean 7 Percent Fat" with a use-by date of May 18;
• 16-ounce vacuum-sealed packages containing "Organic Rancher Organic Ground Beef 85 Percent Lean 15 Percent Fat" with a use-by date of May 18.

The beef was produced April 20, federal officials said.

The products have the establishment number "Est. 4027" inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were shipped to Whole Foods Market locations nationwide.

The problem was discovered amid complaints from consumers reporting they found hard, rigid plastic in the ground beef, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service was notified of the issue.

There have been no confirmed reports of illness or adverse reactions due to consumption of the products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider, federal officials said.

The inspection service is concerned the products may still be in people's refrigerators or freezers.

"Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them," the service said in an announcement on its website. "These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase."

Anyone with questions about the public health alert can contact Adam Bushell, quality assurance manager at NPC Processing Inc., at adamb@npcprocessing.com.

Those with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or email MPHotline@usda.gov.

To report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System is available 24 hours a day at foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF.