March 19, 2010 - Perdue Farms, Inc., a Washington, Ind., establishment, is recalling approximately 10,368 pounds of fresh sweet Italian turkey sausage products because they contain an undeclared allergen. The product was prepared using an ingredient blend that contained milk, a known potential allergen, which was not declared on the label, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The product subject to recall includes: [View Labels, PDF Only]
16-ounce packages of "PERDUE, Sweet Italian, Lean, Turkey Sausage." Each package bears a use by date of "USE BY 03/30/10" or before, a UPC Code "72745-10301," and the establishment number "Est. P-286" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The fresh sweet Italian turkey sausage products were produced between March 3, 2010, and March 15, 2010, and were distributed to retail establishments in Fla., Ill., Ind., Ky., Md., Mo., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Pa., and Va.

The problem was discovered by the company. The company and FSIS have received no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an allergic reaction should contact a physician.

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.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Perdue's Consumer Relations at 1-800-473-7383. Media with questions about the recall should contact company Vice President of Corporate Communications Luis Luna at (410) 341-2533.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

Thanks to the ELL Foundation for the alert.