Nearly 30,000 pounds of ready-to-eat beef sticks were recalled on Thursday after consumers complained that they had found metal fragments in them, food safety and company officials said.
The voluntary recall affects Chomps Original Beef Sticks, but the company said in a statement posted online on Thursday and Friday that it was including Original Turkey sticks and additional product lots that were produced at Idaho Smokehouse Partners, based in Shelley, Idaho.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said in a statement that the agency was informed of “two consumer complaints reporting that pieces of metal were found in the product.”
The products subject to the recall were packaged at a single facility from Jan. 16 through Jan. 23, according to Chomps. The Food Safety and Inspection Service said that the recalled items were shipped to retail locations in California and Illinois.
The company said the turkey products added to the recall had not been included in the 29,541 pounds of recalled beef sticks reported by federal regulators, but it did not provide a weight for the additional items.
There have been no confirmed injuries from consuming the products, the Food Safety and Inspection Service said, adding that anyone who is concerned about an injury should contact a health care provider.
Consumers who purchased the recalled items are urged to throw them away or return them to the store.
Idaho Smokehouse Partners said in a statement on Saturday that after becoming “aware of the two complaints,” it had “worked with regulatory authorities on the best way to protect consumers from this issue.”
“We are taking this action because we are committed to the highest food safety standards for the consumers of our products,” the company added.
Chomps said in a statement on Saturday that the decision to recall the items was “made following a thorough investigation conducted alongside our manufacturing partner” and under the oversight of the Agriculture Department.
The company said it “chose to broaden the scope of the recall beyond what was required, ensuring that all product packaged during that time frame was fully accounted for and removed from the market.”
Chomps also said that it had added “further safeguards to prevent this from happening again.”
