Family Traditions Meat Company, an Ackley, Iowa establishment, is recalling approximately 270 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) beef stick products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The product contains milk, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label.

The fully cooked, ready-to-eat beef stick items were produced on Nov. 14, 2019, Dec. 3, 2019 and Jan. 6, 2020 and have a shelf life of six months. 

• 3-oz. and 6-oz. vacuum-packed packages containing Arcadia Meats Beef Smoked Stick Original with lot numbers 31819, 33719 and 00620

The products subject to recall bear establishment number EST. 46538 inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The problem was discovered by a compliance officer with the Iowa Department of Agriculture during in-commerce surveillance activities at a retail store.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers refrigerators or freezers or both. 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.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify that recalling firms are notifying their customers of the recall and that actions are being 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.

Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Jolene Heikens, Vice President of Sales with Family Traditions Meat Company, or Ashley Morton, Hazard Coordinator with Family Traditions Meat Company, at (641) 847-8116.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. 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/.