(LibertySons.org) – A holiday recall of a popular store-brand gravy in November 2023 served as an excellent reminder to people cooking for groups at any time of year to check their pantries for expired or recalled products before heading into the kitchen. With so many shelf-stable products available to families, keeping up with pantry organization can become challenging.
In the case of the November recall, the FDA issued the urgent alert because the manufacturer, Seneca Foods, suspected that one lot of a product, Hy-Vee Turkey Gravy, may have improperly contained beef and soy products. Seneca also hadn’t labeled the potential contaminants in the product but noted their presence might cause a deadly allergic reaction to those sensitive to soy.
Seneca Foods issued a voluntary recall for 12-ounce jars of Hy-Vee Turkey Gravy bearing the Universal Product Code (UPC) 75450-03608 and a lot number, found on the product lids, of A3CG162M A3CG192M. The manufacturer and the FDA recommended that consumers return the product to the retailer where they bought it for a full refund.
People can consult a few sites to stay up-to-date on food recalls. The FDA keeps the most comprehensive list in an easy-to-follow searchable format that anyone with internet access could access from anywhere. The government’s Food Safety site also contains helpful resources and links but may not include the most comprehensive list of recalls and alerts.
For those who could use a little help figuring out how best to store foods, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Cornell University, and the Food Marketing Institute developed an app for that, called The FoodKeeper. Available as a free download, it offers valuable advice on safely storing fresh and shelf-stable foods and beverages with the least waste.
Ultimately, most households should be cleaning out pantries seasonally, or about four times a year, to eliminate out-of-date and stale foods or donate foods the family doesn’t like to food banks before they fall out of date, minimizing waste and helping in the community. The Spruce offered a good overview of cleaning, restocking, and maintaining a pantry. Yet, every family’s needs will likely require some personalization of the plan because many buy in bulk and store for holidays or inclement weather.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
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