Health alert issued for pork carnitas products sold at Aldi
A public health alert has been issued for pork carnitas products that may be contaminated with metal fragments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Saturday.
The products, produced by Cargill Meat Solutions on April 1 and 2, 2025, were sold at Aldi stores across the country.
According to the FSIS alert issued on April 19, the affected items are packaged in 16-ounce sleeved trays labeled "Pork Carnitas SEASONED & SEARED PORK WITH JUICES SLOW COOKED WITH CITRUS" with "USE BY" dates of June 30, 2025, or July 1, 2025, printed on the side.
The sleeves are also printed with heat and serve instructions, as well as the words "fully cooked," "perishable" and "keep refrigerated."
The products bear the establishment number "Est. 46049" inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The FSIS stated that a recall was not requested because the product is no longer available for purchase, however the agency said it was "concerned that some product may be in consumers' refrigerators or freezers."
The issue was identified after Cargill informed the FSIS that routine processing checks revealed equipment damage that may have led to metal contamination.
No injuries have been reported at this time, but agency has advised anyone concerned about possible injury to contact a health care provider.
In a statement to ABC News on Monday, Cargill Meat Solutions said, "Out of an abundance of caution, and in coordination with the USDA, we have voluntarily issued a public health alert for our pork carnitas products produced from April 1 - 2, 2025, that may potentially contain metal pieces. No illnesses or injuries associated with this product have been reported, and the product produced within that timeframe is no longer available for sale in stores."
The company noted that the potentially affected products were distributed to retail customers in the following states: Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Consumers are urged not to eat the affected items and to either discard them or return them to the place of purchase.
Cargill said that a consumer hotline has been set up for questions about the alert at (844) 419-1574.
