Potato Salad Recall Update as FDA Sets Risk Level

A potato salad recall has been given a risk classification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Hill Country Fare Mustard Potato Salad, produced by Oregon-based Reser’s Fine Foods, had been voluntarily recalled by the company due to the “presence of hard plastics” found in the product. The recall has now been given a Class II risk definition by the FDA.

A Class II recall, the second-highest risk level, is “a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

The product was originally recalled on July 2 after it was discovered it contained small pieces of plastic. Affected products have the UPC code 4122003165 and best-by date of July 24 and 26. In total, 24,378 containers are subject to the recall.

Affected items were distributed to H-E-B and Joe V’s Smart Shop locations in Texas only. It is sold in 48-ounce clear plastic tubs with gold and blue labels bearing white lettering.

Any consumers with questions regarding this recall can call Reser’s Fine Foods on 888-223-2127 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT.

The FDA says that “hard or sharp foreign objects in food may cause traumatic injury including laceration and perforation of tissues of the mouth, tongue, throat, stomach and intestine as well as damage to the teeth and gums.”

A Class II recall, as issued in this case, is the second-highest level that can be awarded to a product withdrawal. A Class I, the most-serious risk level, is issued when there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a product could “cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”

A Class III, the least-serious type of recall, is given when “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”

However, the FDA said that foreign objects such as plastic, bone, or metal that are less than 7 millimeters “rarely cause trauma or serious injury except in special risk groups such as infants, surgery patients, and the elderly.”

Foreign-object recalls issued by health authorities are not uncommon, but are less frequent than other types of withdrawals such as bacterial or viral contamination and allergy risks.

In July, Colorado-based Izzio Artisan Bakery voluntarily recalled three bread items after they were found to contain small pieces of plastic, and Utah-based Casper’s Ice Cream Inc voluntarily recalled one of its products after two tubs were found to contain fragments of rubber.