Brains sent to California recalled for ‘specified risk material’

Almost 7,500 pounds of beef brain products sent to a distributor in California are under recall because they may be contaminated with “specified risk materials” that are inedible and prohibited for use as human food.

Green Bay Dressed Beef LLC, doing business as American Foods Group LLC, of Green Bay, WI, produced the beef brains on various dates between April 24 and Aug. 11, according to the recall notice from the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service. The notice did not name the California distributor that received the beef brains.

The only products implicated in the recall are 15-unit cases labeled  as “AMERICAN FOODS GROUP BEEF BRAINS <30” and bearing packaging code 06400. The recalled brains also have the establishment number “EST. 410” inside the USDA mark of inspection on their labels.

“The problem was discovered while FSIS inspectors were conducting verification activities. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions or injuries due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider,” according to the FSIS recall notice.

“ Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Jennifer Dibbern at 800-829-2838.

The Code of Federal Regulations definition of “specified risk materials” exempts “cattle from a country that can demonstrate that its bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk status can reasonably be expected to provide the same level of protection from human exposure to the BSE agent as prohibiting specified risk materials for use as human food does in the United States.”

Parts of cattle carcasses considered “specified risk materials” are, as defined in the federal code:

(1) The brain, skull, eyes, trigeminal ganglia, spinal cord, vertebral column  — excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum — and dorsal root ganglia from cattle 30 months of age and older; and

(2) The distal ileum of the small intestine and the tonsils from all cattle.

“Specified risk materials must be removed from the carcasses of cattle, segregated from edible materials, and disposed of in accordance with § 314.1 or § 314.3 of this subchapter. The spinal cord from cattle 30 months of age and older must be removed from the carcass at the establishment where the animal was slaughtered,” the federal code states.

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