Beef Alert Issued for 9 States

Officials have issued a public health alert for eight corned beef and chicken spread products that were illegally imported from the Philippines.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service is urging retailers not to sell the items and asking consumers to carefully discard them because of possible pathogen risks.

On Wednesday, FSIS issued the alert after discovering meat and poultry products from the Philippines while performing routine surveillance activities at a retailer.

The products, which were shipped to restaurants and retail stores in nine states—Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia—do not have any information about where they were produced written on their packaging.

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The alert said: "FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers' and restaurants' pantries and on retailers' shelves. Retailers who have purchased the products are urged not to sell them. Consumers and restaurants who have purchased these products are urged not to consume or serve them.

"Consumers are asked to double bag the product when discarding it to reduce the possibility of animals accessing the product because USDA cannot confirm whether the products were properly heated to control pathogens of concern to domestic livestock and poultry."

The alert said there had been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products and that anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.

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The following products are subject to the public health alert, regardless of the product date:

• 150-gram can of "Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF."
• 175-gram can of "Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF."
• 260-gram can of "Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF."
• 150-gram can of "PUREFOODS CORNED BEEF."
• 210-gram can of "PUREFOODS CORNED BEEF."
• 150-gram can of "CHUNKEE CORNED BEEF."
• 190-gram can of "CHUNKEE CORNED BEEF."
• 7.43-ounce jar of "Lady's Choice Chicken Spread."

FSIS said it would continue to investigate how the products entered the country. The products are owned by three companies in the Philippines: Century Pacific Food Inc., which owns the Argentina brand; San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc., which owns the Purefoods and Chunkee brands; and Unilever Philippines, which owns Lady's Choice.

Newsweek has contacted Century Pacific Food, San Miguel Food and Beverage, and Unilever Philippines for comment by email.

Several other warnings and recalls involving meat have occurred in recent months. In June, a meat importing company recalled more than 20,000 pounds of beef products that were not inspected when entering the U.S. Publix Super Markets also recently issued a voluntary ground beef recall on some products.