A callout on four different flavors serves as a timely reminder to keep a firm grip on what you sprinkle on your food.
When you prepare meat at home, you probably already follow some key food safety measures: washing your hands after you handle it, cooking it through, and tossing leftovers as soon as they start to look or smell “off.” Mindfulness matters when you’re cooking meat—and less-obvious ingredients, including the seasonings you use to give that food extra flavor, can call for examination themselves.
Similar to a kitchen spice recall we covered Friday, the presence of potential foreign objects appears to be an issue once again in a new recall—this time for meat seasonings.
In an August 15 report, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of four different seasonings described as the following: Reduced Sodium Roast Beef Rub, BBQ Riblet Seasoning, Lemon Pepper Seasoning, and Cajun Seasoning, amounting altogether to 19,731 total pounds of recalled product. The report does not further detail how many pounds of each individual seasoning were affected, but “Potential foreign objects (metal fragments)” is the indicated reason for the recall.
QST Ingredients and Packaging of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, is the listed recalling firm—a company website appears to be non-operational as of press time. TraceGains Gather, a “networked ingredient marketplace,” indicates QST Ingredients and Packaging supplies “dry, shelf stable spice blends primarily for seasoning meat.”
The FDA’s report indicates four customers received the recalled products during distribution. Those customers then “either use recalled finished product for ingredient in further processing or repack for retail sales,” suggesting a potential for consumers to encounter the seasonings on prepared food items or as individual units.
The report also states: “4 customers are located in Southern California with the remaining customer in Texas.” Three potential customers appear to be specifically labeled in the recall details: Serv-Rite, Cargill Meat, and Tarantino. Cargill Meat Solutions was linked to two food alerts earlier this year: pork carnitas products and liquid egg substitute. The Cargill website says they provide to “food producers, retailers and foodservice operators” globally.
The FDA provided the following details (“Net Weight” refers to per unit):
Reduced Sodium Roast Beef Rub (Serv-Rite)
- Net Weight: 50 pounds (lbs.)
- UPC: (QST# 6313)
- Lot Numbers: 092251, 112251, 133251, 160251, 181251
BBQ Riblet Seasoning (Cargill Meat) (PPM)
- Net Weight: 50 pounds (lbs.)
- UPC: (QST# 5275)
- Lot Numbers: 059251, 079251, 154251, 170251, 170252
Lemon Pepper Seasoning (Tarantino)
- Net Weight: 50 pounds (lbs.)
- UPC: (QST# 6402)
- Lot Number: 118251
Cajun Seasoning (Tarantino)
- Net Weight: 50 pounds (lbs.)
- Usage: 13.80 LBS for 300 LBS of Meat
- UPC: (QST# 4546)
- Lot Number: 118251
As of August 14, the FDA has designated the recall as a Class II, meaning “use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.” The recall was originally initiated on August 7.
For at least a couple of these manufacturers, their websites allow some vagueness for which types of businesses they supply. It may be a good reminder that one of the most conscious practices for your health and the planet’s is to purchase direct from smaller-scale meat producers, like farmers and butchers, when possible.
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