To our friends and customers,
Last week, we were made aware of two complaints of lead pellets in our ground beef. These two pounds of beef were sold through Mom’s Organic Market in the Northeast USA. The lot number for the product is 105761.
This issue typically occurs when livestock get out of the fencing designed to keep them in. Since then, the livestock are at the mercy of the landowner, sometimes loud shotguns are fired above the livestock to drive them in a specific direction. They are not being shot at, but shot over- we don't approve of this method, but we have seen it. We are certain that this is a piece of lead shot, which unfortunately is not detectable with a metal detector.
When we received the first complaint, USDA reviewed our HACCP and logs, and the investigation was closed. We are grateful this is very isolated - none of our processing equipment had any malfunction.
Thankfully, there have been no injuries reported in connection to this incident. A recall has not been issued because the product is no longer for sale in stores
We built processing on the farm to take control of situations like these. Despite lead in ground beef being a common issue in the beef industry, we take responsibility for it and are taking steps to prevent it.
We appreciate your patience and continued support as we work through this challenge.
- The Cowboys & Butchers of White Oak Pastures
