There’s a bacon recall on the table.
More than 12,000 pounds of pork products from Canada have been pulled from the shelves after a serious warning from federal regulators.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is behind this recall, which affects items from Maple Leaf Foods based in Mississauga, Ontario. Interestingly, these products had never undergone “re-inspection for import into the United States.”
This recall really falls under “Class I,” which is the USDA’s most severe classification.
The recalled items include 12-ounce vacuum-sealed packages of “Royal Natural Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon Products” and “Topval Uncured Hardwood Smoked Bacon Products,” as noted in an advisory released on Friday.
According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the violations were uncovered during standard inspection activities, and so far, there have been no reported cases of illness linked to the bacon.
The affected bacon was distributed to stores in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Consumers are strongly encouraged to dispose of the products or return them to the retailers.
This recall coincides with the impending tariffs on several Canadian imports, including dairy and auto parts, set to roll out on August 19.
It also surfaces amidst a significant Cyclospora food poisoning outbreak tied to Mexican lettuce, which has sickened over 7,000 people in the U.S.
Earlier this month, Taylor Farms recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico due to this outbreak.
As for Maple Leaf, they haven’t responded yet to inquiries about how their bacon managed to skip the re-inspection process for imports.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service generally checks food for things like shipping damage, temperature issues, and labeling accuracy. If there’s any suspicion of a problem, the products might be sent for lab testing to check for pathogens or verify their authenticity.
Inspected items usually get a USDA stamp, but this bacon package apparently didn’t have one.
