"We don't know what is in the products," says one national expert. Here's what the US government wants you to know.
Illegally Sold Meat and Poultry Trigger Public Health Alert In 9 States
Published on Oct. 25, 2024
A series of recent recalls, including BrucePac’s headline-grabbing incident affecting nearly 12 million pounds of meat, has highlighted the potential dangers of bacterial contamination. Now, a new public safety alert is shedding light on a different problem: Unregulated and illegally imported meat, fish, and poultry products in the United States.
On Thursday, October 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) posted a public health alert affecting various meat and poultry products that were illegally imported to the U.S. from the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
“Myanmar is a country ineligible to export meat and poultry products to the United States, so we don’t know what is in the products,” Soledad Calvino, a Public Affairs Specialist for FSIS, tells The Healthy by Reader’s Digest.
The unauthorized products were discovered in nine states through FSIS surveillance: retailers in Arizona, California, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas were found to be selling the illegal products. Authorities do not yet know how these products entered the country, but an investigation is underway.
The mostly-canned meat, fish, and poultry products bear neither an establishment number nor a USDA mark of inspection. Though the FSIS report did not say how many units of the products are believed to be in circulation, all products sold by the company are subject to the public health alert, regardless of the product date. The affected products are:
- 180-g. cans containing “BEST BEEF CURRY”
- 425-g. cans containing “BEST Chicken Biryani”
- 360-g. cans containing “Hti Mi Gwik Dry MoHinGa Paste”
- 425-g. cans containing “BEST Myanmar Duck Blood”
- 400-g. cans containing “Eain Chak MoHinGa Paste”
- 160-g. vacuum sealed clear packages containing “Min Thar Gyi Dried Fish”
- 400-g. cans containing “Eain Chak Coconut Soup Paste”
FSIS has not linked a specific health concern to the incident, and there have been no confirmed reports of health problems related to the safety notice. However, the authority notes that anyone who has consumed the products and is concerned about an illness should contact their healthcare provider.
They also advised that retailers who may have the illegally imported meat products in stock should not sell them, and consumers who have purchased these products should not consume them. “FSIS is concerned that some products may be in consumers’ pantries and on retailers’ shelves,” the recall notice states. “These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
In August, 2024, FSIS made a similar announcement regarding 17 products shipped to the U.S. from Myanmar, many of which were branded under the name “Grandma.” These included catfish curry, goat curry, mutton soup, steamed carp fish, duck curry, and more.
Those with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send an email to [email protected].
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