Spice causes recall for pork sausage

DUNDEE--Shirk's Meats in Dundee is recalling approximately 1,062 pounds of pork sausage product due

to misbranding and an undeclared allergen, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Friday, Jan. 9. The product contains peanuts, a known allergen which is not declared on the product label. Shirk's 30-pound bags of "smoked pork andouille sausage," that is being recalled was produced Nov. 26, 2014.
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 Shirk's 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.
The recall is a USDA Class I recall, which is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
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 lists will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.
Consumers with questions about the recall can call Naomi Shirk, owner of Shirk's Meats, at 607-243-5581.