Bags of rice recalled in seven states as they may contain 'rodent parts'

Wehah Farms recalled 4,600 cases of its Lundberg Family Farms Sustainable Wild Blend Gourmet Rice in seven states.

The recall was initiated due to the potential presence of "foreign object that appears to be of rodent origin."

The US Food and Drug Administration classified this as a Class II risk recall, which means the product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.

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The affected products are sold in 1lb bags with the lot code 231004 and a best-before date of October 4, 2024. The recall affects products sold in Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Wisconsin, per Newsweek.

It remains unclear how the product became contaminated with rodent parts. FDA recalls are classified into three levels, with Class II being the second most serious type.

The FDA sets limits on the amount of "extraneous materials" that can be present in food, stating: "maximum levels for these defects in foods produced under current good manufacturing practice and uses these levels in deciding whether to recommend regulatory action."

According to the FDA : "Extraneous materials include any foreign matter in a product associated with objectionable conditions or practices in production, storage, or distribution."

And they provide examples: "Examples of filth may include any objectionable matter contributed by animal contamination such as rodent, insect, or bird matter; or any other objectionable matter contributed by unsanitary conditions."

The FDA said: "Some foods, even if they are produced in acceptable conditions, may contain natural or unavoidable defects that at low levels are not hazardous to health."