New York Firm Recalls Pork Sausage Products Due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2015 Shirks Meats, a Dundee, N.Y. establishment, is recalling approximately 1,062 pounds of pork sausage product due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The product contains peanuts, a known allergen which is not declared on the product label. The following product subject to recall was produced on November 26, 2014: 30-lb. bags of Smoked Pork Andouille Sausage. The products subject to recall bear the establishment number EST. 18894 inside the USDA mark of inspection and were shipped to a firm in New York for further processing, and distribution to retail locations. The problem was discovered when Shirks Meats company was notified by its spice supplier that the cumin in a spice mix used to formulate the sausage may have been contaminated with peanut allergens. FSIS and the company have received no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider. FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls . Consumers and media with questions about the recall can contact Naomi Shirk, Owner of Shirks Meats, at (607) 243-5581. Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov . The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem .