Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods is recalling approximately 22,880 pounds of baked spaghetti and chicken cobbler products that may contain aluminum slivers from manufacturing pans, federal officials announced Aug. 3, according to a Class I recall issued jointly by the FDA and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
A Class I recall is the highest risk designation, indicating a reasonable probability that consuming the product will cause serious health consequences or death. The affected products bear establishment number EST. 19979 and were distributed across North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The FDA and FSIS said the aluminum slivers were shed from pans used during the manufacturing process. Metal contamination in food products poses a risk of internal injury, including cuts to the mouth, throat, and digestive tract.
Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged not to eat them and to return them to the place of purchase or discard them immediately. The recall covers specific production dates and lot codes that consumers can verify on the product packaging.
Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, based in Richmond, Virginia, is a regional food manufacturer known for its prepared meals sold in grocery stores throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The company has not publicly commented on how the pan deterioration occurred or how long contaminated products may have been in distribution.
FSIS and FDA said they are continuing to monitor the situation and will provide updates if the scope of the recall expands. Retailers in the affected states have been notified to pull the products from shelves.
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact FSIS or the FDA for additional information. Those who believe they have been injured by the products are encouraged to contact their health care provider.