Consumers should check their freezers: Another contamination disaster has hit America’s food supply as a major food chain is recalling over 730,000 pounds of hash brown patties contaminated with plastic pieces.
While the foreign material, ranging from 1 to 8 millimeters in size, could cause choking or internal injuries, the FDA has oddly downgraded this to a “Class II” recall, suggesting only “low risk” despite the clear danger to consumers.
Lamb Weston initiated the recall last month, affecting 34,801 cases of oval-shaped hash brown patties.
The products were distributed across multiple regions, including Arizona and Hawaii, and international markets like Japan, Kuwait, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.
The agency report described the situation as “ongoing” with “Approximately 1 [millimeter] to 8 [millimeter] sized pieces of foreign material (plastic) found in product.”
Particularly concerning is that Lamb Weston supplies major restaurant chains including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Burger King, Popeye’s, and Pizza Hut.
While the company has not confirmed which specific restaurants received contaminated products, the widespread distribution suggests many Americans could have already consumed these potentially dangerous hash browns.
The potential health risks from these contaminated products include choking, oral injuries, and gastrointestinal damage.
Customers who purchased these products are advised to immediately discard them or return them to the place of purchase.
Despite these serious risks, the FDA has mysteriously categorized this as a Class II recall, suggesting only a remote possibility of adverse health consequences.
Still, this is not the first time Lamb Weston has faced quality control issues. Previous recalls in 2022 involved both listeria contamination and foreign objects in their products.
Additionally, the company has been plagued by employee complaints about safety conditions in its facilities.
The company describes itself as “one of the world’s largest producers and processors of frozen French fries, waffle fries, and other frozen potato products.”
Its massive size and influence on America’s food chain make its quality control failures even more concerning for public health.
Although no illnesses have been officially reported yet, this recall serves as another reminder of how vulnerable the food supply has become.
Despite clear choking hazards, the FDA’s lenient classification of this recall as Class II rather than Class I raises serious questions about whether the regulatory agencies truly protect American consumers or merely accommodate big food corporations.
