Al Shabrawy Meat Inc., a South River, N.J. establishment, is recalling an undetermined amount of meat and poultry products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced. Some of the products contain pistachio nut and soy, known allergens, which are not declared on the product label. 

This release is being reissued as an expansion of the August 6, 2016 recall to include additional products. The first recall 070-2016 on August 6, 2016, recalled an undetermined amount of basterma, sausage, soujouk, salami, mortadella, makanek, and bologna products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens. The expansion of the recall is based on evidence provided by FSIS that all package sizes and brands of the products produced during the initial recall dates of January 1, 2015 to August 4, 2016 are misbranded as described in the initial recall.

The basterma, sausage, soujouk, salami, mortadella, makanek, bologna, Lahmajun (meat pie) and other sausage-like items were produced on various dates between Jan. 1, 2015 and Aug. 4, 2016. The following products are subject to recall:

  • “TAZAH, SULTAN, & YORUK SLICED BASTERMA” – cryovaced and weighed at the time of sale
  • “AL MARAAI, AL HALU, BAROODY, & AL SHABRAWY SLICED AND WHOLE BASTERMA” – cryovaced and weighed at the time of sale
  • “AL SHABRAWY, TAZAH, & BAROODY MAKANEK” – cryovaced and weighed at the time of sale
  • “TAZAH EGYPTIAN STYLE FRESH SAUSAGE” – cryovaced and weighed at the time of sale
  • "AL SHABRAWY FRESH SAUSAGE” – cryovaced and weighed at the time of sale
  • “BAROODY & SULTAN DRIED SOUJOUK” – cryovaced and weighed at the time of sale
  • “SEVAN LAHMAJUN” – cryovaced and weighed at the time of sale
  • 1-lb. plastic tubes (chubs) of “AL SHABRAWY PLAIN, OLIVE, & BLACK PEPPER SALAMI”
  • 5-lb. plastic tubes (chubs) of “AL SHABRAWY PLAIN, OLIVE, & BLACK PEPPER SALAMI”
  • 1-lb. plastic tubes (chubs) of “AL SHABRAWY OLIVE & PISTACHIO MORTADELLA”
  • 5-lb. plastic tubes (chubs) of “AL SHABRAWY OLIVE & PISTACHIO MORTADELLA”

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 19160” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations and wholesalers in California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

The problem was discovered during an on-going FSIS investigation at the establishment following a complaint to the agency. The major public health concerns include listing hydrolyzed plant protein in the ingredient statement of the beef bologna and beef mortadella, but not specifying that soy, an allergen, is the source of that protein. Also, the beef mortadella products did not declare pistachio nut, an allergen, on individual package ingredient statements, although some cases of the product display a sticker stating “Pistachio” was in the product. FSIS also found that beef salami and beef bologna products contained poultry ingredients and a sausage product tested positive for Red Dye #40, which is not declared on product labels. Additionally, raw beef trim, designated for cooking only, was used in raw non-intact finished products.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

Source: FSIS