FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Pork Carnitas Products Due to Possible Extraneous Material Contamination

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for pork carnitas products that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically pieces of metal. FSIS did not request a recall because this product is no longer available for sale in commerce. The fully cooked pork carnitas products were produced from April 1-2, 2025. The following products are subject to the public health alert [ view labels ]: 16-oz. sleeved tray packages containing "Pork Carnitas SEASONED & SEARED PORK WITH JUICES SLOW COOKED WITH CITRUS" with "USE BY" dates "06/30/2025" or "07/01/2025" printed on the side of the packaging. The products subject to the public health alert bear establishment number "Est. 46049" inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to Aldi supermarkets nationwide. The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that during routine process checks they found equipment damage that may have contaminated the carnitas products with pieces of metal. There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider. Although this product is no longer available for sale, FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers' refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Members of the media with questions about the public health alert can contact Chuck Miller, Cargill Meat Solutions, at [email protected] . Consumers can contact Cargill's Consumer Hotline at 1-844-419-1574. Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to [email protected] . For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/ .