Lotts-A-Meat, in Bloomer, is issuing a voluntary Class I recall of packaged meats sold wholesale and at retail according to a press release by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).
According to the press release, no illnesses have been reported as a result of consuming these products, but that the recall was initiated based on evidence collected during a routine inspection by state inspectors. Evidence shows that the products include undeclared allergens, undeclared restricted ingredients, and were produced without the benefit of inspection.
Kevin Hoffman, Public Information Officer, Division of Animal Health/Division of Food and Recreational Safety for Wis.DATCP said, “‘Produced without the benefit of inspection’ means the product was produced outside of the establishment’s approved hours of operation.”
Tim Lotts, owner of Lotts-A-Meat, said that most of the products being recalled fall under the heading of “were produced without the benefit of inspection.” Lotts said that what happened is the products were produced on days when an inspector is there—Monday through Thursday—but were labeled on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday and carried the inspection “bug,” indicating they were produced under inspection on those days. Lotts said that the problem stems from not wanting to label the products until he knows where they are going to be sold because different locations sell the products for different prices and the labels include the price. Once the products are labeled they can not be re-labeled. Lotts said he worked out a solution with the state whereby he can put a $0.00 price on the product and change just the price when he knows where the product will be sold.
Lotts did say that the Teriyaki beef snack sticks being recalled fell under the “undeclared allergens” heading because they do contain soy and wheat and that those allergens were not stated on the label (a full list of products included in the recall follows at the end of this article). Lotts admitted the mislabeling was his mistake.
Hoffman said, “‘Undeclared allergens’ is in reference to major allergens (e.g., soy, milk, wheat) not listed in the ingredient statement and ‘Undeclared restricted ingredient’ is an ingredient that is limited to the amount that can be used in the formulation of a product, which was not identified in the ingredient statement.”
The other product that Lotts mentioned specifically is the Honey Ham Stick-No Nitrite or Nitrate Added. Lotts said that he uses a state approved recipe that he got from the state for the ham sticks that does not contain Nitrites or Nitrates but at some point in time the state’s recipe changed and includes one of them so the state said his were mislabeled. Lotts said that rather than fight the state on this point he agreed to recall the product in order to expedite getting his license back.
Lotts-A-Meat was closed down for three days while Lotts worked with the state on what he needed to do to come into compliance and get his license back. He cooperated fully with the state and agreed to make the changes, pay the fines and recall the products necessary to get his license back.
Lotts assured the Bloomer Advance that the products were produced in accordance with the establishment’s HACCP plan and were cooked and do not contain harmful bacteria. According to Wikipedia, “Hazard analysis and critical control points, or HACCP, is a systematic preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes that can cause the finished product to be unsafe and designs measures to reduce these risks to a safe level.”
Increase In Voluntary Recalls
The Bloomer Advance has received what seems to be an increase in voluntary recalls by small meat producing plants over the past year to 18 months, we asked Hoffman about it.
Hoffman said, “There have been no related regulatory changes, and there isn’t a single cause—the recalls were initiated for a variety of reasons. At DATCP, our goal is to educate while we regulate, and what we saw over the last year helped us identify areas where we can provide additional resources to meat establishments.
“For example, we saw many recalls last year due to product not being produced in accordance with the establishment’s HACCP plan. Recognizing this increase, we used the opportunity to reach out to meat establishments across Wisconsin to remind them of this requirement and identify training opportunities to help them better understand the regulations. We will continue to use this approach whenever necessary.”
Recalled Lotts-A-Meat Products
Unless otherwise noted below, the recalled products carry a mark of inspection with establishment No. 398 and includes: Honey Ham Stick-No Nitrite or Nitrate Added, 1 lb. vacuum-sealed packages with packaging dates prior to 2/3/23; Pork chops, vacuum-sealed packages with the following packaging dates: 8/12/22, 12/30/22, 1/27/23; Pork steaks, vacuum-sealed packages with the following packaging date: 8/12/22, 1/27/23; Pork roasts, vacuum-sealed packages with the following packaging date: 1/27/23; Sirloin, vacuum-sealed packages with the following packaging date: 1/20/23; Teriyaki beef snack sticks, vacuum-sealed packages with packaging dates prior to 2/3/22; Sweet maple bacon flavored snack stick, vacuum-sealed packages, packaged on 1/30/23; Beef snack sticks, vacuum-sealed packages with the following packaging dates: 1/22/23, 1/30/23; Dill with pepper jack cheese snack stick or pickle with pepper jack cheese snack stick, vacuum-sealed packages with packaging dates prior to 2/3/23; Jalapeno and cheese snack stick, vacuum-sealed packages, packaged on 1/22/23; Garlic beef snack stick, vacuum-sealed packages with packaging dates prior to 2/3/23; Bacon, vacuum-sealed packages with no mark of inspection, packaged on 12/27/22; Beef snack stick with cheese, vacuum-sealed packages with no mark of inspection, packaged on 7/12/22.
Products were sold at retail in Bloomer, Cadott, Fall Creek and New Auburn. This is a Class I recall, initiated based on evidence collected during a routine inspection by state inspectors. Evidence shows that the products include undeclared allergens, undeclared restricted ingredients, and were produced without the benefit of inspection. More information on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recall classifications is available below and on USDA’s website at www.fsis.usda.gov.
No illnesses have been reported as a result of consuming these products. Anyone with signs or symptoms of a foodborne illness should contact their doctor. Consumers who have these products can discard them. Consumers and media with questions about this recall can contact Timothy Lotts, Lotts-A-Meat, at (715) 568-2222.
