An unknown quantity of a wide variety of processed foods ranging from vegan PB&J sandwiches to Halal bologna tray lunches that were distributed to unnamed “external customers” is being recalled by the Washington State Department of Corrections because it was made with contaminated water.
The recall, posted May 24 on the Food and Drug Administration’s website but dated May 18. It was made public four days after the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service posted a recall for almost 160 tons of meat and poultry products from the same facility that is named in the notice on the FDA site — Airway Heights (WA) Corrections Center’s Correctional Industries’ food production facility near the Fairchild Air Force Base.
The FSIS recall notice specified that the meat and poultry foods and meals were shipped to “institutions in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.” The Correctional Industries’ website states the facility’s food products go to senior citizen nutrition programs in addition to jails.
“The department has ceased distributing potentially affected food products produced and distributed from Airway Heights Corrections Center to other correctional facilities and external customers,” according to the recall notice on the FDA website, which does not include any other distribution details.
“This voluntary recall of food items produced at the Airway Heights Corrections Center is based on a finding of elevated levels of fluorinated organic chemicals (PFOS and PFOA) in the City of Airway Heights drinking water supply. The City of Airway Heights advised its water customers to not drink city water or use city water for cooking. This advisory will be in effect until further notice.
The Correctional Industries’ Airway Heights food production facility operates 24 hours a day, five days a week, according to the corrections department website. Fourteen civilians and 300 inmates work at the “food factory.”
“The food factory produces baked goods, packages frozen vegetables, and assembles frozen meals, tray lunches and breakfast sandwiches which are sold to the Department of Corrections, senior nutrition programs, and city and county jails,” according to the corrections department.
“They average 18,500 cases of bakery items per month such as loaves of bread, rolls, cookies, English muffins and biscuits, and hamburger and hot dog buns. The factory ships approximately 35,000 cases total product a month.”
Both the FDA and FSIS recall notices state the health risks from the consumption of food made with the contaminated water are minimal.
“The levels found in the drinking water exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lifetime health advisory level. The advisory level is based on lifetime exposure from water ingestion, not from skin contact or breathing water vapor, which are not considered to be unsafe,” according to the FDA recall notice.
“While the levels found in the City of Airway Heights drinking water are above what is considered safe to drink, the amount of PFOA/PFOS in food processed with the water is likely to be much lower. The health risk from eating food processed with the water is expected to be very small.”
Local officials notified the corrections department on May 16 that water sampling on May 8 had shown several wells supplying the municipal water system were contaminated.
Foods covered by the recall posted on the FDA’s website are:
Item No. | Product |
---|---|
10312 | WHITE WHOLE GRAIN DINNER ROLLS |
10000 | WHITE WHOLE GRAIN FRENCH BREAD |
10310 | WHITE WHOLE GRAIN HAMBURGER BUNS |
10315 | WHITE WHOLE GRAIN LOAF BREAD |
10191 | WHITE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD ENDS |
10309 | WHITE WHOLE WHEAT HOT DOG BUNS |
10075 | WHITE WHOLE GRAIN BREAD SLICES, I/W>200 CT/CS |
10008 | VEGAN WHEAT BREAD SLICES,I/W>200 CT/CS |
10437 | W/G APPLE CHUNK MUFFINS, I/W |
10430 | W/G BUTTER BRICKLE MUFFINS, I/W |
10446 | W/G PUMPKIN BREAD MUFFINS, I/W |
10448 | W/G BANANA MUFFINS, I/W |
10447 | W/G CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS, I/W |
10025 | BROWNIES, CHOCOLATE, I/W |
10132 | COOKIES, CHOCOLATE CHIP, 2 EA/PK, I/W |
10120 | COOKIES, GINGER SNAP , 2 EA/PK, I/W |
10360 | COOKIES, LEMON SUGAR, 2-EA/PK, I/W |
10173 | COOKIES, OATMEAL, 2 EA/PK, I/W |
10241 | CUPCAKES, CHOCOLATE, NO ICING, I/W |
10240 | CUPCAKES, YELLOW, NO ICING, I/W |
12788 | BEAN & CHEESE BURRITO W/RICE AND CORN |
12704 | CHEESE SAUCE WITH MACARONI AND GREEN BEANS |
12730 | CHEESY EGG OMELET WITH SWEET RICE AND O’BRIEN POTATOES |
11956 | PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY “A” |
11952 | TURKEY HAM |
11953 | TURKEY SALAMI |
11948 | TURKEY, SLICED |
11822 | TURKEY HAM W/PB&J |
11823 | TURKEY SALAMI W/PB&J |
11832 | TURKEY W/M W/PB&J |
10232 | YELLOW (PB&J) SNACKS – (2 PACK BREAD) |
10554 | EGG & CHEESE BREAKFAST MUFFINS WTURKEY HAM, I/W (50EA) |
10556 | EGG & CHEESE MUFFIN I/W (50EA) |
10532 | BANANA BREAKFAST BARS,I/W> 100 CT. 2.9-OZ/CS |
10573 | BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST BARS, I/W> 100 CT. 2.9-OZ/CS |
10536 | CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAKFAST BARS, I/W> 100 CT. 2.9-OZ/CS |
10534 | STRAWBERRY BREAKFAST BARS, I/W> 100 CT. 2.9-OZ/CS |
12735 | BREAKFAST BURRITO WITH RANCHERO SAUCE AND SWEET RICE |
12777 | BREADED FISH PATTY W/RICE AND PEAS |
12704 | CHEESE SAUCE WITH MACARONI AND GREEN BEANS |
12726 | CREAMY TUNA CASSEROLE WITH ROTINI AND VEGETABLES |
11991 | BREAKFAST TRAY C |
10880 | HALAL BOLOGNA TRAY LUNCH |
10911 | HALAL CHICKEN BREAST LUNCH>36-EA/CS |
11956 | PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY TRAY LUNCH |
12738 | APPLE PIE BURRITO, SCRAMBLED EGGS AND POTATOES |
14618 | VEGAN NAVY BEAN HASH AND SWEET RICE WITH RAISINS |
14610 | VEGAN RICE & BEAN BURRITO, CHUNK ROAST POTATOES & CORN |
14616 | VEGAN ZUCCHINI SCRAMBLE AND CAJUN STYLE BLACK BEANS |
14612 | VEGAN CAJUN STYLE BLACK BEANS, RICE AND CORN |
14600 | VEGAN CHILI WITH RICE AND VEGETABLES |
14602 | VEGAN CHILI WITH MACARONI AND GREEN BEANS |
14785 | VEGAN CURRIED LENTIL STEW AND RICE BLEND |
14608 | VEGAN NAVY BEANS W/MUSTARD SAUCE, RICE BLEND AND PEAS |
14604 | VEGAN SLOPPY JOE, TATOR PUFFS AND VEGETABLES |
14606 | VEGAN SPAGHETTI, AND COOKED LENTILS |
14620 | VEGAN VEGETABLE STEW AND CAJUN STYLE BLACK BEANS |
14622 | VEGAN SPICY BEAN BURRITO W/RED CHILI SAUCE, RICE & VEGETABLES |
11930 | VEGAN BREAKFAST TRAY H |
11924 | VEGAN BREAKFAST TRAY G |
11922 | VEGAN CHEESE LUNCH |
11920 | VEGAN PBJ LUNCH |
For more information, please see “Almost 160 tons of institutional meals recalled for bad water“
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