More than 220,000 pounds of Spam recalled over oral injuries

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CBS/AP

CBS/AP May 27, 2018, 6:26 PM

AUSTIN, Minn. -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is recalling more than 228,000 pounds of Spam and another product made by Minnesota-based Hormel after four consumers complained about metal objects in the food. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service says the canned chicken and pork in question was produced in February at the company's plant in Fremont, Nebraska.

The agency said "minor oral injuries" were reported but said they received "no additional reports of injury or illness" from consumption of the products.

The recall covers 12-ounce metal cans containing "SPAM Classic" with a "Best By" date of February 2021 date. Those products were shipped throughout the U.S.

The production codes are F020881, F020882, F020883, F020884, F020885, F020886, F020887, F020888 and F020889.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spam-recall-hormel-canned-meats-2018-05-27/

[Maxheader]

1. A misaligned sandwich meat...

like bologna...metal in it doesn't help the reputation...

[bucolic_frolic]

2. I had a piece of sneaker in a hot dog once

doubt they had a recall system at the time.

[Dave Starsky]

23. At least you didn't get the whole foot.

I mean... that you know of.

[bucolic_frolic]

24. LOL

[paleotn]

3. QA is kind of sucky there, Hormel....

You processed 228K lbs of product before you noticed there was a problem with your equipment or that of one of your suppliers? Oh, that's right. You didn't notice it at all. I was your customers who figured it out when they chomped down on bits of metal.

[HopeAgain]

4. Spam, spam spam...

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. How much does a piece of spam mail weigh? I didn't know you could recall emails. . . . nt

[lordsummerisle]

6. I was just going to ask where the Monty Python spam skit was n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Must have the obligatory skit

[JoeOtterbein]

8. Foreign Objects are one of the most expensive food safety hazards.

Cut mouths, broken teeth, crowns, implants, etc are more expensive to fix that waiting until you feel better from an infection, intoxication or toxin-mediated illness from food.

I've worked in big food operations where we found stones, nuts & bolts, all kind of stuff. Frozen vegetables often contain rocks and stones, clumps of dirt, etc. Of course most metal is from the machines, utensils etc. Once I found a round metal ball in my bucket of pre-made canape shells. It fit in a shell perfectly so it was likely used to shape the dough.

[forgotmylogin]

17. With heavy machinery this is going to happen.

The machines form those cans and fill them with blazing speed in a loud factory environment. If a can got misaligned and cut wrong, it's possible the machine might have ground up metal filings potentially into several lots of product and eventually self-corrected and kept going without anyone noticing.

It's a peril of mass production. That's why we have (ostensibly) an FDA that keeps companies on their toes and doing inspections and equipment maintenance to prevent things like this, as well as public and transparent recalls when necessary.

[dalton99a]

9. "The recall came two days after the company reported record sales and record profit"

Maybe they should spend a little money on equipment maintenance and checking for metal objects

[maxrandb]

10. I think I'm ok

I have a few cans of Spam from 1993. I keep them in case of the apocalypse

[Haggis for Breakfast]

11. Let's hope none of it was bound for Hawaii

For those of you who have never been to the island State, a trip to the local grocery stores will reveal an entire aisle of SPAM. They have flavors I didn't even know existed: Honey SPAM, Bacon SPAM, Garlic SPAM, Cheese SPAM, Teriyaki SPAM, Spicey SPAM, Turkey SPAM, SPAM with pineapple (of course), SPAM with macadamia nuts, SPAM with jalapenos.

They eat it hot and cold. They eat it for breakfast in place of sausage. They put it in cereal. They put it in salad. They bake it in casseroles. They even put it in . . . sushi.

SPAM sales in HI are probably what keeps Hormel in business, as more SPAM is sold there than in any other state.

[Bradshaw3]

12. I'm sorry but after reading your post I saw your handle and ...

had to laugh. I've been to Scotland and know how much they love haggis but they could never get me to try it. As for spam, I tried it once about 15 years ago after having it as a child in the 60s. Never again.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

28. Well, first, you have to like liver

Haggis is the Scottish national dish. We even have poems and songs dedicated to it. On Robbie Burns day there is an entire ceremony dedicated to The Haggis, complete with a traditional "presentation" of it to the assembled, accompanied by the lilting, lyrical majesty of the bagpipes. Now, my relatives have always had the customary "wee dram" of whisky (Scotch, but nobody in Scotland calls it that.), which they pour over the Haggis. I think for some, it helps get it down !

Now, SPAM, on the other hand, I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, even if I was dying of hunger !

[Bradshaw3]

31. Thanks! I love Scotland

Spending time in Edinburgh, listening to the Cast at the Tron, hanging out with the friendly locals - one of the best times I ever had travelling. Still have to pass on the haggis however.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

32. we'll wear you down one day . . .

[d_r]

29. The TV news

Said none to Hawaii

[gfwzig]

13. sure, recall for metal, don't worry about the Squirrels,Possums And Mice !!!!

[gfwzig]

14. I have installed food processing equipment ,,

every item produced has been thru x-ray that was able to detect foreign objects smaller than this period . after being cased they were xrayed again.... I can hardly believe that something was able to get thru.

[JoeOtterbein]

15. I was thinking much the same because they usually use metal detectors, so now I'm thinking

the breakdown may have been in the detectors not working correctly. Anything could have made it though at that point.

[forgotmylogin]

18. It likely happened during the phase where the product was being canned.

A can goes through sideways and gets ground up in the works, fragments end up inside other sealed cans. Once the product is tinned they can't really use a metal detector on it.

[JoeOtterbein]

20. Good point.

[flibbitygiblets]

16. It's going to kill anyone who eats it sooner or later anyway

I mean, yeah, we shouldn't have metal in food, but c'mon. People who eat SPAM aren't exactly health buffs now are they?

[forgotmylogin]

19. I used to think it was disgusting.

I've been caring for my mom who is really picky and can't chew well. She loves the stuff, because it's easy for her to eat and I've discovered it's not so bad - I make sure to buy the "lite" kind with less fat and (more importantly) less salt. It's a guilty pleasure like bacon. I actually want to try it in tiny cubes in a stir-fry like they show in the commercial.

[PDittie]

25. For what it is

Canned, processed meat by-product extruded into a block ... you could do worse, actually.

[forgotmylogin]

26. I think it works best treated as a flavoring like bacon.

If you don't have any ham it would probably be awesome cut into small cubes to flavor a pot of beans. And it would save you adding salt. Or saute slivers of it really crispy on top of macaroni or cheesy potatoes.

Every so often a food trend comes along that seems so crazy it just might be awesome. Right now, that buzzy ingredient is Spam. Yep, renowned chefs are incorporating the Hawaiian staple into fancy tasting menus alongside snootier foods. Since we’re all about getting in on a trend while it’s hot, we’ve compiled 12 mouthwatering ways to cook with the canned meat (which, for your information, is 90 percent pork shoulder and 10 percent ham).

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/purewow/12-actually-delicious-way_b_9349650.html

[mbusby]

21. Nooooooooo....

...on a lighter note. You have to cut it thin and fry it, otherwise you will not be able to get it down. Tastes good in a mustard and spam sandwich.

[rocktivity]

22. You forgot the "Not From The Onion" disclaimer

Getting rid of a ton of spam? Sounds my weekly purging of my email folders.


rocktivity

[Elwood P Dowd]

27. 320 pounds of Trump SPAM removed from White House over high crimes and misdemeanors

would be a much more appetizing headline.

[FSogol]

30. I use a good spam filter, so I'm probably fine.