Procesadora La Hacienda, Inc., located in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico on Friday recalled approximately 4,940 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) corned beef products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, namely pieces of metal, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The RTE corned beef items were produced on Feb. 28, 2019.  Products subject to recall are:

• 10-lb. boxes containing two 5-lb. packages of “Productos La Hacienda,” with lot code 022819 and expiration date of “Exp. 042919.”

The recalled products bear the establishment number “EST. 21217A” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to institutions in Puerto Rico. While the product was distributed to schools, it resulted from a commercial sale and was not part of the food provided by the USDA for the National School Lunch Program.

The problem was discovered on March 7, 2019, when the establishment received a consumer complaint from the School Program of Puerto Rico. Specifically, the establishment reported receiving a complaint indicating that a school found a piece of metal embedded in a chub of corned beef.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in school freezers or refrigerators. School nutrition professionals who have purchased these products are urged not to prepare or consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify 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. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website.