Ben-Lee Processing, Inc., an Atwood, Kansas establishment, is recalling an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat and heat-treated bacon and ham products that were produced without a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The following products are subject to recall:
• Various weight packages of cured pork products, including country style bacon, sliced bacon, ham, sliced ham, and summer sausages
The recalled products are in consumer-sized packages in various weights, and are wrapped in white butcher paper with the name and address of Ben-Lee as well as the mark of inspection and the name of the product in a contrasting ink color.
The recalled products bear the establishment number "Est. 2366" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were produced prior to March 14, 2013, and were distributed in northwest Kansas for further distribution.
The problem was discovered by the Kansas State Department of Agriculture in conjunction with FSIS. Some fully cooked products were given the mark of inspection, but the company does not have a HACCP plan for fully cooked product. Further investigation revealed that other Ready-To-Eat or heat-treated products were produced without HACCP plans. HACCP plans, in which establishments identify potential hazards associated with a given product, and identify a means of addressing those hazards in the production process, are required for all products bearing the mark of inspection.
FSIS and the company have received no reports of illness at this time. Anyone concerned about an illness from consumption of these products should contact a healthcare provider. FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify that recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.
Consumers and media with questions about the recall should contact Tom Carroll, the company's owner, at (785) 626-3732.
