California food processor recalls beef for undeclared allergen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A California food processor voluntarily recalled 217,000 pounds of beef products because they contain an allergen not declared on the label, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Monday.

The recalled beef products, which contained whey, a known allergen, was produced by Harris Ranch Beef Co. and distributed to retail stores and wholesalers in Washington state, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and through Internet sales.

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Persons who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to dairy products run the risk of possible allergic reactions if the consume the products, the USDA said. There have been no reports of illnesses associated with the suspect beef products.

The company recalled its 1.75 pound to 2.5 pound random weight vacuum packages of "Harris Ranch" brand "Beef Tri Tip," a fully cooked beef product. The front of each package label bears either "EST. 783" or "EST. 6218" in the USDA seal of inspection and a "freeze by" date of "09 15 00," for Sept. 15, or earlier.

The USDA said the problem was discovered by the company, which informed meat-safety officials.

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