TOPEKA (KSNT) – Federal health officials are warning people in Kansas and other states to avoid eating several different products imported from overseas illegally Friday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (UDSA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert on Oct. 25 for various meat and poultry products imported into the country illegally from the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The products were sent to retail stores in Kansas, Iowa, California, Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
FSIS investigators are continuing to look into how these products made it into the country and were shipped to the states listed above. All of the products listed below are included in the public health alert:
- 180-g. cans containing “BEST BEEF CURRY.”
- 425-g. cans containing “BEST Chicken Biryani.”
- 360-g. cans containing “Hti Mi Gwik Dry MoHinGa Paste.”
- 425-g. cans containing “BEST Myanmar Duck Blood.”
- 400-g. cans containing “Eain Chak MoHinGa Paste.”
- 160-g. vacuum sealed clear packages containing “Min Thar Gyi Dried Fish.”
- 400-g. cans containing “Eain Chak Coconut Soup Paste.”
The FSIS said the products do not have an establishment number on them or a USDA mark of inspection. Investigators first noticed the problem while performing regular surveillance activities at a retail location.
No reports of people experiencing health problems in association with these products have been received yet. People who are concerned about a potential illness in connection to this public health alert are encouraged to contact their healthcare providers.
The FSIS is mostly concerned that people have some of the above products in their pantries or that some of the products are still on store shelves. Retailers are encouraged not to sell the products while customers who have purchased them are urged not to eat them. The products should be either thrown away or returned to where they were purchased from.
People who have questions regarding this public health alert can get in touch with the USDA by calling the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or by emailing [email protected].