Food

USDA issues public health alert for ground beef over metal contamination

Tonya Costoff Medeiros

25 Mar 2026 — 1 min read

There haven't been any reports of injury when eating the affected ground beef, but the FSIS has received two complaints about the product. ©Image Credit: White Oak Pastures Radically Traditional Farming

If you've got ground beef in your freezer, it's time to take it out and look into whether you need to dispose of it. The USDA has issued a public health alert regarding a specific lot of White Oak Pastures Radically Traditional Farming, Grassfed Ground Beef.

The product is no longer available

The good news is that the product is no longer on shelves for purchase. This means if you don't already have it in your freezer, you don't have to worry about accidentally buying it.

The affected ground beef was produced on Feb. 26, 2026, and was sold in 16-oz vacuum-packed packaging. The White Oak Pastures Radically Traditional Farming logo is on the front.

You can check the lot number to see if it matches the safety alert. If it has the establishment number "EST 34729," the lot number "105761," and a sell-by date of Mar. 19, 2026, you need to throw it out.

Not a recall notice

It's worth mentioning that this is a public health alert from the USDA, not a recall notice. Because the product is no longer sold, there is no need to recall it.

So what's a safety notice? In this case, it means you need to throw the meat out. No one has reported any injuries from consuming it, but the USDA has recommended people not take chances.

Contamination was found in the meat

The reason for the alert is that the beef "may" be contaminated with foreign material. More specifically, metal. Obviously, that's worrying when it might not be noticeable, leading you to accidentally ingest it. The safety notice takes the "better safe than sorry" approach.

An opportunity to organize your freezer

This is a great opportunity to do a quick look through your freezer, make sure you know what you've got, and throw out any ground meat that may be affected.

Source: Good Housekeeping

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