- Mr. Wok Foods, Inc., has to recall a whopping 200,000 pounds of meat after inspectors found undeclared allergens in various food products.
- The allergens include things like milk, soy, and peanuts, among others.
- If someone with a serious allergy mistakenly eats one of the products without knowing of the allergens present, their health or life could be in danger.
With the ongoing global health crisis still looming the last thing we need is to be worrying about groceries making us sick, too. Unfortunately, the steady stream of product recalls that the USDA fields haven’t ceased in the wake of the pandemic, and one of the latest recalls is a big one. In a new bulletin, the agency reveals that roughly 200,000 pounds of meat is being recalled after inspectors discovered undeclared allergens and mislabeling of some products.
The allergens include substances like milk, wheat, soy, peanuts, and even oysters. These are all food products that can cause severe and even life-threatening allergic reactions, and must be declared on product labels to ensure consumers know what they’re putting into their bodies.
The recall includes products distributed by Mr. Wok Foods, Inc., which is based out of Las Vegas. The undeclared allergens were discovered by in-person inspectors “during routine label reviews,” according to the USDA.
According to the recall bulletin, the products are distributed widely and are used in institutions, vending machines, and restaurants across the United States. The USDA considers this recall to be a “Class 1,” which indicates “a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
“There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products,” according to the USDA bulletin. “Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.”
You can find a full list of the recalled products on the bulletin page. If you have any of the products listed, you should avoid eating them and throw them out, as it’s impossible to tell what allergens may be found within any given product, and if you have a severe allergy to one of those substances, you could be putting your health and your life and danger.
When companies produce large varieties of food products, such as the case with Mr. Wok Foods, Inc., there’s always a risk of cross-contamination between food lines. When that happens, substances from one type of food product may find their way into another food, and those ingredients don’t end up on the label. Companies try to keep consumers alerted to these possibilities by listing potential allergens on the product labels. Unfortunately, in this case, the company didn’t take the proper steps to keep customers in the know, and now 200,000 pounds of food has to be tossed.
