Before having that SPAM pan de sal (Filipino bread roll) for merienda (snack), you might want to first make sure that your can doesn’t contain any unwanted pieces of metal.
Yesterday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Hormel Foods Corporation is recalling more than 220,000 pounds (99,790.3214 kilograms) of SPAM and Hormel Foods Black Label Luncheon Loaf after it received consumer complaints saying that metal objects were found inside the canned food.
According to the USDA’s statement, there have also been reports of “minor oral injuries associated with consumption of the products.”
Cans that may contain pieces of metal were produced on Feb. 8 – 10 of this year and have the following specifications:
- 12-oz. metal cans containing “SPAM Classic” with a “Best By” February 2021 date and production codes: F020881, F020882, F020883, F020884, F020885, F020886, F020887, F020888 and F020889. These products were shipped throughout the U.S.
- 12-oz. metal cans containing “Hormel Foods Black Label Luncheon Loaf” with a “Best By” February 2021 date and production codes F02098 and F02108. These products were shipped to Guam only.
- Products that will be recalled have the establishment number “EST. 199N” on the bottom of the can.
While the canned products were only shipped to the U.S. and Guam, Filipinos may also be affected by the contaminated batch.
Many Filipinos living abroad regularly send care packages, colloquially known as balikbayan (overseas Filipinos) boxes, to their families back home. Those living in the U.S. often fill their boxes with American products like Hershey’s chocolates, Kirkland vitamins, and, of course, SPAM.
Filipinos love SPAM so much that Hormell even came out with a special edition SPAM tocino inspired by the sweet Filipino pork belly dish.
While the processed meat doesn’t have a good reputation in the U.S. mainland, it is well-loved in Hawaii and Guam as well as other countries like the Philippines that have a strong U.S. military presence like South Korea.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has advised those who currently have cans of SPAM in their pantries to not eat them.
So again, hold off on SPAM-silog (meat, rice, and egg dish) for now.
