The recent Hot Pockets recall has prompted the removal of various flavors of the product as part of a massive meat recall.
On Feb. 18, Nestlé USA issued a press release with details about the voluntary product recall. The multinational food and beverage company stated that the recall was issued for an unspecified number of “Philly Steak” and its “Croissant Crust Philly Steak and Cheese” Hot Pockets in various sizes.
“Our teams at Nestlé have reviewed our vendor records and have determined that one Nestlé brand has been impacted by the Rancho meat recall.”
The executive order comes after a massive meat recall was announced by Rancho Feeding Corp., which may have affected the frozen Hot Pocket sandwich products. The Petaluma, CA-based food distribution company has recalled more than an estimated 8.7 million pounds of beef after regulators discovered that diseased and unhealthy animals were used to process the meat used to make the Hot Pockets.
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“While Nestlé did not purchase meat directly from Rancho, our procurement teams worked with our supply chain to understand whether any company in this chain may have purchased meat from Rancho Feeding at any time during 2013, the period of time covered by the Rancho Feeding recall,” the press release stated.
“From this review, we have confirmed that a small quantity of meat from Rancho was used at Nestlé’s Chatsworth, California production operation, a facility devoted entirely to HOT POCKETS® brand sandwiches. The affected batches of the two varieties in our range of HOT POCKETS® brand sandwiches are being removed from the marketplace.”
It has also been stated that the animals in question were not thoroughly inspected prior to processing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service reportedly shut down all operations at the processing plant after it was determined that the meat products were unsuitable for human consumption.
Although no illnesses have been reported, the USDA recommends that consumers return the recalled products to the retailer where they were purchased. Consumers can also contact Nestlé Customer Service at (800) 392-4057.
Image via Hot Pockets, Facebook
Image via Hot Pockets, Facebook