The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a massive recall on Wednesday, October 13th, 2021 for Butterball ground turkey. The company, based in Mount Olive, North Carolina, said the products were produced Sept. 28, 2021, shipped to stores nationwide, and carried the brands “Kroger Ground Turkey” and “Farm to Family Butterball All Natural Ground Turkey.”
The USDA received several calls from consumers who reported blue plastic embedded in the raw ground turkey. After further investigation, approximately 14,107 pounds of ground turkey products were recalled. Thankfully, there haven’t been any illnesses or harm reported as a result of the contamination. However, this is still a major issue, and the products must be thrown away immediately.
“FSIS is concerned that some products may be in consumers’ freezers and/or refrigerators. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” according to the recall notice.
The Food Safety Network reported the ground turkey items were produced on Sept. 28, 2021. The following products are subject to recall:
- 2.5-lb. trays containing “farm to family BUTTERBALL all natural Ground Turkey” with the case code 50211271, a sell or freeze by date of 10/18/2021, and time stamps from 2123 through 2302 printed on the packaging.
- 3-lb. tray containing “Kroger GROUND TURKEY” with the case code 50211271, a sell or freeze by date of 10/17/2021, and timestamps from 2314 through 2351 printed on the packaging.
- Note: The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. P-7345” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide.
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Butterball Consumer Hotline at (800) 288-8372 and the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) for further food safety questions.