Pork Product Recall Sparks Warning to Customers

Pork Dynasty Inc. of Texas is recalling nearly 470 pounds of fried pork skin products on Friday due to an undeclared allergen and misbranding, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
In an online notice, the FSIS said the impacted products contain soy, but the packaging does not disclose it. The company said that the undeclared allergen was discovered “during routine FSIS in-plant verification activities.”
The recalled products include 2.5-ounce and 3.5-ounce bags of “Texarones Born in the Philippines—Made in Texas Fried Out Pork Fat with Attached Skin Spicy.” The items come in a plastic bag and have an establishment number of “EST. 46015.” The products were distributed to retail and dining establishments in Texas.
According to the FSIS, there have been no reported reactions related to the recall as of Friday.
The FSIS said that any consumers who have purchased the recalled items “are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
Questions about the recall can be directed to Pork Dynasty Inc.’s owner, Wilson Gaw, at 832-606-1946 or via email at [email protected]. Consumers can also reach out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline, toll-free, at 888-674-6854 or send questions to [email protected].
Newsweek has reached out to the company owner via email Friday night for additional comment.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identifies nine major food allergens that companies are required to list on their products’ labels. The allergens include milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame.
A report from regulatory compliance company Traceone published last month found that unintended traces of allergens was the No. 1 cause of products being pulled from the shelves from 2020 to the date of the study, accounting for 40 percent of all recalls by the FDA and FSIS.
The second most common reason was the presence of harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria, which accounted for 21 percent of recalls during the same time period.
Other reasons for product recalls include the presence of foreign objects, like small pieces of plastic or metal, or the mislabeling of a product. The presence of lead in food accounted for 1.7 percent of withdrawals reviewed by Traceone.
A poll from Gallup conducted from July 1 to July 21 found that 27 percent of Americans report having to discard or return an item due to a recall or food safety alert. More than half the respondents (53 percent) said they had avoided buying specific brands of foods because of a recall or advisory.