Health warning for several bacon products made from pork and beef

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A health alert has been issued for non-ready-to-eat pork and beef bacon products due to high levels of sodium nitrate, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The levels exceed the prescribed limit according to FSIS. No recall has been requested for the product. It should not be consumed as it is no longer available.

The dry-cured pork and beef bacon items were shipped to farmers markets and farm stores in Kentucky and Tennessee, but were also available through direct-to-consumer sales. Other items, sold in various weights, were purchased at the Farmstead Butcher Block counter. Other products were produced under a duty-exempt condition and do not bear the USDA Mark of Inspection, although some products subject to the warning label bear the number EST. 47852 within the USDA Mark.

The items were produced between April 12 and May 31. The following products are affected by the warning:

Approximately 1 pound packages

• Clark Farms Smoked Pork Cheek Bacon with lot number H130RH.

• Clark Farms Smoked Pork Bacon with lot number H130RH.

• Clark Farms Smoked Pork Shoulder Bacon with lot number H130RH.

• Smoked pork cheek bacon from Farmstead Butcher Block with batch number H81AB.

• Smoked pork bacon from Farmstead Butcher Block with batch number H81AB.

• Smoked beef belly bacon from Southwinds Cattle Company, lot code B237AB.

Packages purchased by weight at the sales counter

• Farmstead Local House Smoked Bacon with best before dates 2.5.24 to 27.6.24.

• Farmstead Butcher Block Buck Board Bacon with best before dates of May 2, 2024 to June 27, 2024.

• Farmstead Butcher Block Pork Jowl Whole House Smoked with best before dates 2.5.24 to 27.6.24.

• Farmstead Butcher Block House Smoked Beef Bacon with best before dates 2.5.24 to 27.6.24.

There are no confirmed reports of adverse reactions from consumption. Consumers who have purchased the products are urged to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

More info

• Contact Farmstead Butcher Block at [email protected] or 270-200-4224.

• For more information about recalls and food safety questions, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or chat through Ask USDA weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Consumers can email their questions to [email protected]. Anyone wishing to report a problem with a meat, poultry or egg product can use the Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System online. Recalls are posted online.

In our Life and Culture team, I cover topics related to restaurants, beer, wine and sports. For my current stories, here is cleveland.com Directory. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink on Thursdays around 8:20 a.m. Twitter and IG: @mbona30. My latest book, co-authored with Dan Murphy: “Joe Thomas: Not Your Average Joe” by Gray & Co.

Want to know what’s happening this weekend? Sign up for cleveland.com’s weekly email newsletter, “In the CLE.”

Our weekly DineDrink CLE podcast covers the food and drink scene in Northern Ohio. Visit cleveland.com/topic/dinedrinkcle. And follow @DineDrinkCLE on Instagram.