Four-state meat recall after life-threatening allergen found in products

Nearly 670 pounds of raw meat products are being recalled due to concerns they may contain a potentially life-threatening allergen.

M&P Production LTD, a Brooklyn, New York based company, this week ordered back two raw lamb and beef samsa products due to the misbranding of an undeclared allergen, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in an alert.

The two products being recalled contain sesame seeds, a known allergen, but the ingredient was not declared on the product labels, the USDA said in its alert. 

The first product is a 16-ounce, plastic-wrapped tray package containing “samsa halal” while the second is a 12-ounce plastic-wrapped tray package containing “M&P delicacies lamb dumplings lamb samsa.”

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Both products have use-before dates of between Jan. 2 and Feb. 22, 2025 and bear establishment number “EST. 18832” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, the USDA said. 

The USDA says that there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products. 

Sesame was added to the FDA’s list of major food allergens last year that may be severe or life-threatening. 

Under the 2023 Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act, sesame needs to be labeled when present in food and companies need to implement controls to significantly minimize or prevent sesame allergen cross-contact.

A person who consumes sesame and is allergic to it may suffer symptoms that can range from mild, such as hives, to severe, such as anaphylaxis, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), a group that helps educate people on food allergies. Anaphylaxis can lead to skin rash, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing and shock.

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FARE says 0.23% of children in the U.S. are allergic to sesame and sufferers are advised to keep an epinephrine injection device with them at all times.

The FDA has already announced more than 50 food-related recalls in 2024, according to Newsweek.  

Meanwhile, another New York company, MF Meats of Chautauqua County, issued a recall on Thursday of more than 93,000 pounds of raw meat products which may have been contaminated with non-food grade mineral seal oil which is not approved for use in meat processing, the USDA said.

Various weights of meat cuts and ground meat are being recalled and bear establishment number “EST. 569” inside the USDA mark of inspection. USDA says it is concerned that some products may be in restaurants’ refrigerators or freezers and urged operators not to serve these products. 

The problem was discovered after MF Meats received four complaints from restaurants reporting a chemical taste in the meat products. 

After investigating, MF Meats determined that its mineral oil supplier sent them a drum containing non-food grade mineral seal oil labeled as food grade mineral oil. 

The non-food grade mineral seal oil was applied to food contact surfaces and not directly to the meat products.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.