Dips, salads recalled for lack of inspection

An Illinois company is recalling dip, potato salad and pasta salad that contain meat because they were produced without the benefit of federal inspection.

The 6,800 pounds of products were produced from Nov. 9, 2020, through Jan. 29, 2021, by Food Evolution, a Schiller Park, IL, establishment, according to a recall notice posted by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The products have use-by dates through Feb. 6. They have the establishment number “EST. 34309” inside the USDA mark of inspection. 

Consumers can determine whether they have the products by looking for the following label information:

• 31-oz. container containing “Taco Dip With Refried Beans, Chili, Sour Cream, Cheddar, Onions, Black Olives, Jalapenos, & Red Pepper thoughtfully handmade —fresh to you — Fresh, Fast, Gourmet.”
• 18-oz. container containing “Taco Dip With Refried Beans, Chili, Sour Cream, Cheddar, Onions, Black Olives, Jalapenos, & Red Pepper thoughtfully handmade —fresh to you — Fresh, Fast, Gourmet.”
• 7-oz. container containing “Tri-Colored Italian Style Rotini Pasta Salad with Salami thoughtfully handmade — fresh to you — Fresh, Fast, Gourmet.”
• 8-oz. container containing “German Style Potato Salad with Bacon thoughtfully handmade — fresh to you — Fresh, Fast, Gourmet.”

“These items were shipped to retail locations in Illinois,” according to the recall notice. “The problem was discovered during routine FSIS verification tasks. FSIS personnel discovered that the establishment produced amenable product at an off-site facility without the benefit of federal inspection, then repackaged and labeled the products with the USDA mark of inspection at the federal establishment.

“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.”

No confirmed illnesses have been reported in relation to the implicated products.

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 will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Art Sezgin, President of Food Evolution, at 818-837-7600.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (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 [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/.

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