Pork warning issued by FSIS as customers told to throw away product

Americans have been warned to throw away pork feared to have been illegally imported and distributed across the U.S., after officials launched a "public health alert."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) raised the alarm for seven states on Monday after discovering that frozen ready-to-eat pork mortadella products "may have been illegally imported from Ecuador, a country ineligible to export meat and poultry products to the United States." The meat is said to be in 1-pound vacuum-sealed packages with a label describing it as "Mortadela ESPECIAL BOLOGNIA."

The FSIS was set up in 1981 to protect Americans' health by ensuring meat, poultry, and egg products are safe to eat. The agency works to prevent foodborne illnesses and improve public health. It occasionally issues recalls when it fears that a food product may be harmful in some way. It may issue warnings about various products as part of a public health alert, such as this week's announcement.

Newsweek has reached out to the export firm Ecuatorianita Imports & Exports LLC by email seeking further information and comment. However, an immediate response was not expected because it was outside of usual business hours.

In this case, the FSIS has not specified what dangers may be lurking in the mortadella—because the quality of the meat itself remains a mystery. That means that, by definition, it may be unsafe to eat. Inspections are designed to ensure that meat is safe for human consumption. Contaminated meat can harbor potentially deadly food-poisoning bugs, such as salmonella and listeria.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the meat believed to have originated in Ecuador, but anyone concerned about an illness should contact their health-care provider, the FSIS says.

"The products subject to the public health alert do not bear an establishment number or the USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture] mark of inspection," the FSIS warning says. "These items were shipped to retail and distributor locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island."

The problem was discovered when FSIS officials were "performing surveillance activities" at a warehouse and found mortadella bologna products that did not bear the USDA mark of inspection. The incident sparked the public health alert after it emerged that some of the meat had already been distributed in the U.S.

FSIS officials are concerned that some products may already be in consumers' freezers. Customers who bought any of this meat are urged not to eat it; the items should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions regarding the public health alert should contact Veronica Vasquez at Ecuatorianita Imports & Exports LLC on 732-309-0183 or by emailing ecuaimports1@hotmail.com.

The FSIS is continuing to investigate the origins of this product, and there may be additional products affected, according to the service's warning.