Double bag & discard: Virginians subject to health alert about illegal meat products

Photo byUSDA / Ron Lach

Virginia is one of nine states where restaurants, retailers, and households are urged not to consume a list of meat and poultry products that were illegally imported into the United States from the Philippines, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Meat and poultry from the Philippines can't be legally imported. Yet, authorities say eight products have been in circulation.

Those items include:

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

(Here are pictures of the labels.)

Authorities says they discovered the problem during routine surveillance at a retailer where illegal products from the Philippines were found.

And it's unclear exactly where they came from. “The products subject to the public health alert do not bear any producing establishment information,” said FSIS.

In addition to retailers, the products were sent to restaurants, the FSIS reported.

Along with Virginia, these products have also been distributed in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina.

FSIS said you should not eat these products regardless of the date.

Authorities don't even want you to throw them away haphazardly.

FSIS is urging people to first double bag the products. Then, discard them.

One reason is to to help prevent animals from getting to them. Second, FSIS said authorities have not confirmed whether these contain pathogens of concern to domestic livestock and poultry.

Meanwhile, FSIS said it’s investigating how the products got into the country.

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