Why Tyson Is Recalling More Than 93,000 Pounds Of Ground Beef

If it were not for the record-setting stock prices and profits Reuters reports, you might think Tyson has been having a rough few years. First scientists called out the meatpacking giant for falling well short of sustainability commitments, then the government released a report claiming Tyson and other meat companies lied about protein shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic to justify operating their plants under unsafe conditions. Combine that with ongoing inflation woes and China banning some of their plants from exporting meat to the world's largest nation, and you'd be forgiven for thinking some karmic forces are seriously out of whack before you even heard about a beef recall.

Tyson is one of the "big four" beef producers in the United States, along with Cargill, JBS, and National Beef Packing, with Food Dive saying they control up to 85% of the nation's market. The beef industry has come under increased scrutiny this year, as skyrocketing beef prices have led to accusations of price gouging from consumers and the White House. Distributor Sysco has also filed a lawsuit accusing the companies of price fixing and artificially lowering the supply of beef to keep prices high. 

While the merit of that lawsuit has yet to be decided, one clearly real hit to the country's meat supplies has just been announced, as Tyson is recalling almost 100,000 pounds of ground beef.

You might say the best ground beef is juicy or well-marbled, but you would never describe it as containing a "mirror-like" material. Unfortunately, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), that is exactly the customer feedback Tyson got from consumers who recently purchased their ground beef from supermarkets. While there have been injuries reported from the tainted beef, the USDA is urging anyone who may have purchased the beef to throw it out or return it.

The labels subject to the recall include the 5-pound and 10-pound packages of Hill Country Fare ground beef with 27% fat, with a best before date of November 25, 2022, and H-E-B ground chuck ground beef with 20% fat. The possibly dangerous beef was shipped to retail locations in Texas. 

This recall comes after foreign material was found in over 100,000 pounds of Tyson chicken nuggets in 2016. Food recalls in general have been fairly common these days with Nestlé, Bob Evans, and Kirkland products all suffering similar fates in the last few months. So be on the lookout for any foreign objects in your meat and direct any food safety questions to the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854.