Westlake Foods recalls cured pork products in US over undeclared allergen

Westlake Foods, an establishment based in Santa Ana, California, has recalled approximately 47,419lbs of cured pork products as they contain wheat, which is not declared on the labels, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The products being recalled include 11lb to 13lb cases of ‘Tay Ho Cured Pork Artificially Colored’, which were distributed for institutional use across the country; 14oz packs of ‘Tay Ho Cured Pork Sausage With Pork Ears And Snouts’, which were distributed for retail sales nationwide; and 11lb to 13lb cases of ‘Don Café Cured Pork Meat and Binder Product Pork skin added’, which were distributed for institutional use in the Houston, Texas area.

The affected products feature the establishment number ‘EST. 1627A’ inside the USDA Mark of Inspection and can be further identified by a case code ‘233001’ through ‘213234.’

All of these products were produced between 1 January 2013 and 22 August 2013.

The recall was initiated after the FSIS detected the problem during a routine label review.

FSIS stated that the problem might have been caused due to a change in the company’s spice mix, which was not indicated on the products’ labels.

FSIS and Westlake Foods have received no reports of illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Any consumers concerned about a reaction have been advised to contact a healthcare provider.

Classified as Class II, the recall indicates a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the consumption of the product.

The agency regularly conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify that 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.

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Image: The recalled products bear the establishment number ‘EST. 1627A’ inside the USDA Mark of Inspection. Photo courtesy of FSIS.