Oscar Mayer Recalls Over a Ton of Meat Sliced With Dirty Equipment

The Kraft Heinz Foods Company announced on Monday that it was recalling well over a ton of meat products from the famous Oscar Mayer brand.

Confirmed via a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement, the company issued a recall for roughly 2,400 pounds of Oscar Mayer Ham & Cheese Loaf, specifically the products sold in 16-ounce vacuum-sealed packages. The decision was made after the affected products were found to have been cut using slicing equipment that had not been properly sanitized between uses, meaning they were potentially subject to cross-contamination.

The affected items were produced on October 10 and were then sent to distribution centers in Ohio and Virginia. Responding to an inquiry from Newsweek, Kraft Heinz said that it did not know to which specific stores the affected product was shipped, but claimed that only "a very limited number" of shipments made it to stores in the two states. A total of 200 boxes of the impact products made it to the stores, with each box containing 12 individual products.

"We're actively working with retail partners and distributors to remove potentially impacted product from circulation, and we're cooperating with USDA recommendations and guidance," company spokesperson Lynsey Elve said in a statement to Newsweek. "We apologize for this inconvenience, and we're committed to upholding the highest safety and quality standards."

The recall notice urges customers who believe that they purchased the affected meats to dispose of them immediately or return them to the store they were purchased for a refund. To check if a product is included in the recall, check for an "Est. 537V" inspection number in the USDA inspection mark, and for codes "07 Feb 2023 20:40 7B" through "07 Feb 2023 22:16 7B" somewhere on the label.

The problem was discovered when the establishment notified [Food Safety and Inspection Services] that the product was sliced on the same equipment as product that had been under-processed, and the equipment was not cleaned between runs of the under-processed and fully cooked product," the recall statement explained. "This has led to concerns of possible cross-contamination of the fully cooked ham and cheese loaf product."

As of Monday, Kraft Heinz had received no reports of customers experiencing illness or other adverse effects related to the consumption of the recalled products. Anyone who believes that they may have consumed any of the recalled meats is urged to contact their doctor.

Kraft Heinz also urges customers with any further questions on the recall to reach out to the company, either via email at lynsey.elve@kraftheinz.com, or by phone at 1-866-572-3806.

Newsweek reached out to Kraft Heinz for comment.

Kraft Heinz's Monday announcement comes on the heels of another major meat recall. In mid-November, over 90,000 pounds of raw ground beef was recalled by Tyson Fresh Meats after an inspection found that it may have been contaminated with foreign matter.

Updated, 12/12/2022, 6:30 p.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect a response from Kraft Heinz.