Empanadas Produced Without Government Inspection Recalled

A New York company is recalling approximately 2,375 pounds of beef and cheese empanadas because they were produced without government inspection.  Cantina Foods of Buffalo, NY issued a voluntary recall of its Beef and Cheese Pastellios Tuesday after an inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) revealed that federal officials had not inspected the products. Production of all meat products in the U.S. must be supervised by FSIS.  Products subject to the recall come in cartons containing four clear plastic bags with six 4-oz. pastellios, a puff pastry also known as an empanada, in each bag.  There are no labels or marks of inspection on the bags or cartons, according to FSIS.  The products were made and sold from October 3, 2012 through November 20, 2012 and were distributed to retail establishments in the Buffalo region.  FSIS discovered the problem during an inspection that the agency conducted following an earlier finding in September of 2012 that the company did not have an adequate Listeria control program in place.  No illnesses have been linked to consumption of the product, according to FSIS.