Recalls strike meat lovers AND vegan health nuts: 2,000 pounds of hot dogs pulled for containing ‘metal pieces’ and a granola customer found ‘bits of rock, glass and plastic’ in their breakfast
- Vienna Beef, a more than century old meat provider, found metal in its hot dogs
- A customer of Purely Elizabeth reported bits of rock, glass or plastic in granola
Food recalls are blighting meat eaters and health nuts alike.
On Saturday, Vienna Beef recalled 2,000 pounds of hot dogs after an inspector found some contained pieces of metal.
On Monday, there was a nationwide recall of Purely Elizabeth granola – sold everywhere from Amazon to Target to Whole Foods – after a customer reported finding pieces of plastic, glass and rock in amongst their crumble.
Both incidences, thought to stem from manufacturing issues, come amid a rise in food recalls in recent years.
Banana nut butter grain-free granola by Purely Elizabeth (left) was recalled after a customer found bits of rock, plastic and glass in a packet. Vienna Beef (pictured, right, inside the factory) was forced to recall hot dogs after finding pieces of metal
The hot dog recall, just days before barbecues heat up for Memorial Day weekend, comes from Vienna Beef, a top meat vendor to restaurants.
The more than a century-old company, based in Chicago, spotted its own mistakes, alerting the US Department of Agriculture straight away.
On Monday, the firm recalled 203 10-pound packages of beef frankfurters from restaurants across Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
Company executives say they are certain all of the meat was retrieved before it reached patrons’ plates.
Purely Elizabeth is a natural granola brand started in New York City by then-aspiring nutritionist Elizabeth Stein, whose moreish recipes won her a following among the health conscious, to the extent that she secured $3 million in funding from General Mills in 2017 for her now booming business.
It grew from a few muffins and one type of granola to an entire range of different granolas and snacks that can be bought online and nationwide in stores.
Workers remove beef mixed with other ingredients to make hot dogs from a mixing machine at the Vienna Beef factory in Chicago, Illinois
But this week the firm was hit with a snafu when it emerged there were ‘foreign objects’ – namely plastic, glass, and rocks – in cashews from one of their Colorado-based nut providers.
The report came from a customer, though no injuries or illnesses have been reported.
The cashews may have made it into various products, all with a November 2019 expiry date, including:
- Coconut Cashew Grain-Free Granola
- Banana Nut Butter Grain-Free Granola
- Pumpkin Spice + Ashwagandha Grain-Free Superfood Granola
- Banana Nut Butter Grain-Free Bars
- Chocolate Sea Salt Grain-Free Bars
- Peanut Butter Grain-Free Bars
- Coconut Cashew Grain-Free Bars