Corn dogs urgently recalled following multiple injuries

A US food company has been forced to urgently recall a number of products products after five reported injuries.

The affected Hillshire Brands Company products bear the Jimmy Dean and State Fair brand names and were sold nationally, including through retail chains, to school districts, and to Department of Defense facilities.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged to check their packaging for the relevant establishment numbers and production dates, to see if their purchases are affected. Those who still possess the items should either safely dispose of them or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.

Corn dogs from one brand have been recalled after five injuries (Getty Images/Patricia Marroquin)

The Hillshire Brands Company issued the recall after identifying 'extraneous material', with some 58 million pounds of corn dog and sausage on a stick products at risk of containing pieces of wood in the batter.

While the recall is being issued as a precaution, five injuries have already been reported in connection with the contaminated products. The nature of these injuries has not been fully disclosed, but ingestion or contact with wood fragments in food products can pose risks such as choking hazards or internal damage.

A number of products have been recalled (FDA)

An official statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said: "The products subject to recall bear establishment number 'EST-582' or 'P-894' printed on the packaging. These items were sold online and shipped to retail and food service locations nationwide. They were also sold to school districts and Department of Defense facilities nationwide. While the products were distributed to schools, it resulted from commercial sales and not part of food provided by the USDA for the National School Lunch Program.

"The problem was discovered after the establishment received multiple consumer complaints, five of which involved injuries. The Hillshire Brands Company conducted an investigation and determined that the wooden sticks entered the production process prior to product battering. FSIS has received no additional reports of injury from consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider."

(FDA)

Consumers with questions about the recall have been urged to contact Christina Self, The Hillshire Brands Company Associate Director of Customer Care directly.

Product recalls involving potential contamination are not uncommon.

In fact, in the same week, several ready-to-eat pasta meals including items sold at Walmart and Trader Joe’s were also recalled due to a possible Listeria outbreak. Those products impacted include Walmart’s Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs and Marinara Sauce and Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo.

The contamination was discovered when one of the producing companies collected samples of the pre-cooked pasta in part of the ongoing investigation.

So far the CDC reported that there have been four deaths and 19 hospitalisations across 15 states as a result of the outbreak.