Taco Bell Recalls Seasoned Beef After Metal Shaving in Order
Taco Bell is one of the top ten largest fast food chains in America, and it is the largest Mexican-inspired chain in the country. On Friday, October 11, Taco Bell released a statement that indicated more than 2.3 million pounds of their beef was being recalled after a metal shaving was found in a customer’s order. This recall affects restaurants in 21 states across the Midwest, eastern, and northeastern regions of the country.
Compared to the total amount of beef Taco Bell serves per year, which is self-reported at 290 million pounds, the recall covers a fairly small fraction of the chain’s output. Nonetheless, because consuming and digesting metal shavings can cause very serious medical complications. the company is acting proactively to reduce the chance of human illnesses. Ingested metal shaving can cause perforations and ulcerations on the esophagus and the intestines, which in rare cases can be fatal depending on the severity of the cuts to the digestive tract. Consumers of Taco Bell’s beef products in the aforementioned regions should exercise caution in their consumption, although the United States Department of Agriculture (who are in charge of regulating the sale and production of beef products) has indicated that there has been no incidents reported of ailments from this situation.
This is not the first time that Taco Bell has had to publicly recall a massive quantity of product. In 2006, an e. coli outbreak stemming from the spinach served by Taco Bell affected 71 people across five states, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Large chains like Taco Bell have a number of separate production and distribution facilities that are all individually susceptible to food safety concerns.
National Food Poisoning Lawyer Ron Simon encourages consumers to stay up-to-date with food safety concerns by following food poisoning/outbreak news for information about instances of food poisoning or foreign objects being found in found, such as in this recall from Taco Bell.
