Publix Recalls Turkey Over Possible Metal Contamination

LAKELAND, FL — Publix customers with a taste for the grocery chain’s ground turkey are being asked to check their refrigerators and freezers. The Lakeland-based store has issued a recall on certain packages of meat after its supplier uncovered possible metal contamination.

The recall was prompted when employees of Prestage Foods of St. Pauls, North Carolina, found a problem with the company's processing equipment. Metal shavings were also found in a package of ground turkey packaged by the supplier, Publix reported on its website. (For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Lakeland Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The total recall involves more than 38,000 pounds of ground turkey shipped to various retailers across the country, Publix noted. The Publix ground turkey affected was produced between Sept. 25-26 and has corresponding Use By dates of Oct. 9, 2017, and Oct. 10, 2017. The Publix products included in the recall are:

• 1.3-pound white Styrofoam trays labeled “Publix ground turkey breast with natural flavorings.” The ink jet printing on the side of the trays displays the first four digits of 7268 and 7269.
• 1.3-pound white Styrofoam trays labeled “Publix ground turkey with natural flavorings.” The ink jet labeling on the side of the trays displays the first four digits of 7268 and 7269.

The products included in the recall also have an establishment number of “P-22000” inside their USDA mark of inspection, Publix noted. Other products included in the recall, but not sold at Publix, were shipped under the “Fit & Active” and “Weis Markets” labels, a media release from the USDA said.

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

No confirmed reports of illness or injury have been linked to the products, Publix noted.

For more information about the Publix recall, visit the grocery store’s website. To learn more about the full recall, visit the USDA online.

Image via the USDA website