(Newswire.net — July 18, 2017) — The major local meet company was forced to recall millions of pounds of beef and pork hot dogs and sausages after the US food safety watchdog had made the meat subject to a Class I recall, Reuters reports.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) considered the meat to be health hazard that presents a “reasonable probability” of causing “serious, adverse health consequences or death,” if consumed.
Sabrett is recalling 7,196,084 pounds (3,264 tons) of hot dogs, sausages and salami across the country, following multiple complains of bone fragments found inside hot dogs, and a report of one minor injury.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a safety alert on Saturday, urging customers not to consume over 30 products made by the brands’ parent company, New-York based Marathon Enterprises Inc., due to possible contamination “with extraneous materials, specifically bone fragments.”
“These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” the agency said.
The Marathon Enterprises Inc. products are available under a range of brands, with most of them bearing Sabrett Hot Dogs logo.
Complaints started pouring in on July 10, after the watchdog’s Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) had reported that customers had found bones fragment in Sabrett hot dogs. One case of “a minor oral injury” has been reported.
According to Fortune, Sabrett distributes its products in 21 US states and Washington DC, with especially strong presence in the Northeast.
The recall covers products with use-by or sell-by dates between June 19 and October 6, 2017.
“Sabrett deeply regrets any concern or inconvenience this has caused its loyal customers,” the company said, adding that it would like to assure customers that the recalled products are no longer in stores.
The term hot dog has been used as a synonym for sausage since the 1800s, after accusations that sausages originating from Germany had been made of dog meet. In the early 20th century, the consumption of dog meat in Germany was common and the suspicion that sausages contained dog meat was “occasionally justified.”