What You Need To Know About The P.F. Chang's Beef Recall
Did you know a little more than a handful of food allergens account for the overwhelming majority of allergic reactions, and thus are behind many food recalls? Yep, the undeclared presence of these usual suspects in commercially sold food products can pose serious risks to those with allergies who unknowingly consume them. According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it's true: a mere eight food allergens are responsible for some 90% of allergic reactions.
One of these eight food allergens, in fact, is behind the recent recall of nearly 120,000 pounds of frozen beef products (119,581 pounds, to be exact), the FSIS has announced. The products in question are 22-ounce packages of P.F. Chang's Home Menu Beef & Broccoli, made by Conagra Brands in Russellville, Arkansas. These products were recalled due to undeclared egg allergens, but the FSIS announcement specifically notes that what is present is orange chicken. Notably, the recall was initiated after Conagra received complaints from two consumers that chicken "product" was found in their P.F. Chang's Home Menu Beef & Broccoli.
Chickens make eggs, obviously, but does the presence of chicken – in this case, orange chicken — automatically mean egg allergens are also present? It's a bit complicated, but as the New York Allergy and Sinus Centers explains, chicken and egg allergies are related, and it sometimes happens that those with egg allergies develop the same symptoms when eating chicken. There's even a name for it: bird-egg syndrome.
How to find out if you've purchased one of the recalled products
Conagra Brands have been producing P.F. Chang's Home Menu products since 2011, and doing so in Russellville, Arkansas since 2012, according to the company's website. The Home Menu features commercially packaged versions of menu favorites from P.F. Chang's, an Asian fusion-style casual restaurant chain with over 300 locations worldwide. However, none of these mislabeled and recalled products were sold in P.F. Chang's restaurants. Instead, notes the FSIS, they were sold in retail stores and groceries nationwide.
To find out if you have purchased one of the recalled P.F. Chang's Home Menu Beef & Broccoli packages, you'll need to check for a few identifying marks. The recalled products, per the FSIS, all share the same lot code (5006 2146 2012) and the same "best by" date: May 21, 2023. They also share the same establishment number (P115), which is printed on the sides of packages above the listing of nutritional information.
The FSIS notes that no illnesses or allergic reactions have been reported to date, but the recalled items were made on May 26 and May 27, 2022; so they were sold in stores for two months (at the time of this article) before being recalled, and it's likely many are still in home freezers. If you discover packages with the identifying marks listed above, the FSIS recommends either tossing them in the trash or returning them to the store where you bought them.