Sausage company issues sweeping recall after consumers found foreign objects inside: 'The product is no longer available'
A sausage company recalled thousands of items because of plastic contamination.
What's happening?
Kayem Foods found out about the issue when it received three customer complaints, Food Safety News reported. The company contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service about the white pieces of plastic.
The chicken sausages were packaged in 11-ounce sizes and produced June 28. The product is All Natural Al Fresco Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage with Vermont-made syrup.
Customers can determine if their purchases are part of the recall by checking the lot code (179), use/freeze by date (Oct. 1), and establishment number (P-7839). The first two identifiers are printed on the package's back label, while the last is printed inside the USDA mark of inspection, per FSN.
No injuries were reported. The sausages were shipped from Chelsea, Massachusetts, to locations around the country. Buyers can return the food or throw it away but should not eat it.
Why is this important?
Plastic contamination is worrisome because it can harm human health. The ubiquity of the material presents problems for the environment and economies as well. Plastic is made from petroleum, a dirty fuel that contributes most of the heat-trapping pollution that is causing the rapid warming of the planet. It also creates mass amounts of waste since, contrary to popular belief, it is not easily recyclable.
This means countries lose untold sums from trash that reaches the ocean. The University of Michigan said marine waste can reduce real estate prices by 25%. And it causes up to $2.5 trillion in annual global economic damage, according to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, impacting tourism, fishing, and other industries.
"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," FSN stated. "When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls."
What's being done about food contamination?
While microplastics are commonly found in food, water, air, and soil, larger pieces of plastic pollutants are less common. They are usually found by USDA or company inspection, though that was not the case here, and government spending cuts could make that more common.
Using alternatives to plastic in food production and packaging would reduce this risk. You can help by advocating for policy reform and using less plastic. Call your representatives and bring your own reusable items when you're on the go: a metal water bottle, canvas grocery bags, and stainless steel or glass food containers.
Do you think Americans use too much plastic?
Absolutely
Only in some states
We're getting better
We're doing fine
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
James Cook sits out Bills' practice Sunday, calls it "business"
Bills running back James Cook has made it known he wants a contract extension, and he skipped the team's voluntary offseason workouts to express his displeasure at not having one. Cook, though, attended the mandatory minicamp and fully participated in the first eight practices of training camp. On Sunday, he rested. Cook did not participate in practice for the first time during camp, watching from the side in street clothes and spending time on an exercise bicycle. "Oh, nothing," Cook said, via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. "Business." Cook also answered "business" when asked whether he was holding in and about whether he planned to practice Monday. The Bills had no comment on Cook's non-participation, per Getzenberg, and Cook was not included in coach Sean McDermott's list of injured players sitting out Sunday's session. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the sides have engaged in talks and are "not . . . that far apart." Cook wants to be paid like one of the top running backs in the league after making $4.257 million for his first three seasons. He is due to make $5.271 million in base salary this season in the final year of his rookie deal. Cook, a second-round pick in 2022, has rushed for 2,638 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. The two-time Pro Bowler also has caught 97 passes for 883 yards with seven touchdowns. The Bills extended the contracts of cornerback Christian Benford, defensive end Greg Rousseau, linebacker Terrel Bernard and wide receiver Khalil Shakir this offseason. Cook insinuated on social media early in the offseason that he was looking for $15 million a season, something that is unlikely with any team. Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million per season), Christian McCaffrey ($19 million) and Derrick Henry ($15 million) are the only running backs making at least that much per season.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
James Cook sits out Bills practice for first time amid contract stalemate, cites 'business'
The James Cook hold-in has commenced. After participating at practice since the start of Bills training camp, Buffalo's Pro Bowl running back showed up to Sunday's session in street clothes. When asked by reporters why he didn't participate, Cook offered a one-word answer: "Business," Cook said. When asked about practicing on Monday, Cook offered the same answer: "Business." Per ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg, Cook kept repeating the word "business" to reporters from there. The Bills declined to comment on the situation, according to Getzenberg. So it's safe to say that Cook's lack of participation was business-related. Cook shows up to practice in sweats Cook's been seeking a new deal the entire offseason. Despite the lack of progress on an extension, he participated at mandatory minicamp and during the opening days of training camp practice. But it was clear from the start of Sunday's session that he wasn't participating when he showed up wearing white sweats, no pads and a beanie. Instead of running drills, Cook got his work done Sunday on a sideline exercise bike. Cook, 25, is approaching the final season of his four-year, $5.8 million rookie contract that he signed after the Bills selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft. He's made the Pro Bowl twice while posting 1,200-plus yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons. He led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024. He's done so for a Bills team that enters 2025 seeking its sixth straight AFC East championship and hoping to contend for the Super Bowl. Where things stand between Cook, Bills Cook's previously indicated on social media that he's seeking a contract valued at $15 million per season. That would make him the league's third-highest paid running back in terms of annual value behind Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. Per Over The Cap, his current average annual contract value of $1.46 million makes him the league's 51st-highest paid running back. Cook addressed his contract status on July 24, shortly after the start of training camp. 'I mean, we have talks. I'm never going to give up,' Cook said of negotiations with the Bills, per The Athletic. 'I mean, I deserve it — what I want, what I need. It's going to eventually happen.' When asked how confident he was in a deal getting done, Cook said this: 'I mean, however it happens, it's going to get done," Cook said. "Wherever it happens." That same day, Bills general manager Brandon Beane addressed Cook's contract situation. 'As I've said all along, I love James Cook," Beane told reporters. "I want nothing more — you know how I am, I want to draft, develop, re-sign our own. "It is a business. We have to fit it in, not only cash, but cap. And sometimes it's not — you can look at it and say, well, you go this website or whatever, they could fit him in if they did this and this. But we also have to look at '26, '27, and beyond because you can walk yourself into one of those years where you're like, oh man, there's not a lot of guys we can take down on those years. "We would have to trade or cut someone that we wouldn't want to lose. So, it's not only 2025 when we're doing a deal with him or any other player. So, all those things have to make sense for us to fit it in." Without a contract extension, Cook would enter next offseason as a free agent, though the Bills in that instance could opt to apply the franchise tag. But that's not the immediate concern in Buffalo. For now, the Bills are trying to win a Super Bowl. And the status of their Pro Bowl running back is up in the air as Buffalo approaches its third week of training camp.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Man Refuses to Pay Girlfriend's $9K Credit Card Debt, but She Says He Needs to 'Invest' in Their Relationship
A 30-year-old man is seeking advice on whether or not he made the right choice to set a boundaryNEED TO KNOW A 30-year-old man is seeking advice on whether or not he made the right choice to set a boundary His girlfriend asked him for $300 to $500 a month to help pay off her credit card debt he didn't know she had The man refused and now his girlfriend is acting "cold" toward himA man is at odds with his girlfriend after she asked him to pay off some of her credit card debt. The 30-year-old man sought advice from Reddit on whether he had made the right decision by telling his 28-year-old girlfriend that he wouldn't share the burden of her debt. "So we've been together almost three years. Things have been good overall," he begins. "We've talked a lot about the future and were planning to move in together soon like actively browsing apartments kind of soon." However, last week, she told him that she had "around $9,000 in credit card debt," which he never knew about. "I asked why she didn't mention it earlier and she said it was embarrassing and she thought she could get a handle on it before it became our problem," he explains. Then, his girlfriend told him that she wanted to "delay" moving in together unless he was willing to help her pay off the debt. She proposed that he could cover $300 to $500 a month to help "speed things up," but he told her he "wasn't comfortable with that." 'I don't have any debt. I worked hard to stay that way. I've had my own money struggles, so I've always been careful with spending," he explains. "And while I don't mind helping out here and there in a relationship, I don't think it's fair to expect me to take on someone else's financial mess, especially before we even live together." His girlfriend didn't see it that way and told him he was being 'unsupportive' and that if he "really saw a future with her," he'd be "willing to invest" in it. "But to me that's not what this is. It feels more like I'm being asked to bail her out and I'm just not okay with that," he adds. While the man remained firm and refused to give her the money, now things are 'awkward." "She's barely texting back and when we talk, she's cold. I feel like I'm being punished for setting a boundary," he concludes. "But I also don't want to start living together on the wrong foot feeling like I'm financially responsible for her past choices." People in the comments section of his post told him that he was making the right move by not giving her the money. 'This is a problem she created. You are not her checkbook,' one person commented. 'Run, dude! Any partner who hides their debt, then tries to guilt you into paying it, then gaslights you when you say no is not the person to build a life with,' another person wrote. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
