CHICAGO: The U.S. government plans to issue new guidelines for food companies as early as this week after an increase in recalls of meat and poultry products possibly containing metal, plastic and other foreign materials, a food-safety official said on Monday.
Consumer advocates say increased automation in meat processing plants has contributed to more machine parts breaking off and contaminating food. The meat industry says producers are reluctant to recall food until they investigate whether consumer complaints about foreign objects are legitimate. In a separate recall on Feb. 23, frozen food maker Bellisio Foods said there may have been pieces of glass or hard plastic in Boston Market brand barbecue pork prepared meals. The recall affected about 173,376 pounds of products.
Representatives for Perdue Foods, Pilgrim's Pride, JBS, and WH Group's Smithfield Foods did not respond to requests for comment or had no immediate comment. Tyson said instances of foreign materials in its products were rare. "Frankly a lot of consumer complaints are bogus," said Mark Dopp, senior vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs for the group. He said companies often need time to analyze the veracity of complaints before taking action. Technology also helps meat companies detect foreign materials in food before it is shipped to consumers, according to the meat institute.