RTE Bacon, Ham Products Recalled Over Lack of HAACP

WASHINGTONBen-Lee Processing, Inc., base din Atwood, Kan., is recalling an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat and heat-treated bacon and ham products that were produced without a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan, USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced March 15.

The recall involves various weight packages of cured pork products, including country style bacon, sliced bacon, ham, sliced ham and summer sausages. The recalled products are in consumer-sized packages in various weights and wrapped in white butcher paper with the name and address of Ben-Lee, as well as the mark of inspection and the name of the product in a contrasting ink color. The recalled products bear the establishment number "Est. 2366" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were produced prior to March 14, 2013, and distributed in northwest Kansas for further distribution

The problem was discovered by the Kansas State Department of Agriculture in conjunction with FSIS. Some fully cooked products were given the mark of inspection, but the company does not have a HACCP plan for fully cooked product. Further investigation revealed that other Ready-To-Eat or heat-treated products were produced without HACCP plans. HACCP plans, in which establishments identify potential hazards associated with a given product, and identify a means of addressing those hazards in the production process, are required for all products bearing the mark of inspection.