Dive Brief:
- Mars Food North America is voluntarily recalling a specific production lot of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Original Long Grain White Rice product due to punctures in the pouch packaging.
- The production lot consists of fewer than than 3,500 cases.
- Products subject to the recall include White Rice with a Best By date of "12/14 made in Canada" and with Lot Code 351GBBFPXX printed on the package, where "351GBBFP" is the lot code, and "XX" represents the packaging equipment. It could be any of 1L, 1R, 2L, 2R, 3L, or 3R.
Dive Insight:
Mars Food North America is emphasizing that the recall is a precautionary measure, and it has not received any reports of illness associated with the product question. That makes this instance a contrast with the Uncle Ben's rice recall this past month when the FDA warned food service companies and consumers not to consume Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice products sold in 5 and 25-pound bags. The products were linked with an outbreak of illness, presented as a red burning/itching rash, headache, nausea, and flushness of the skin in three public schools in Katy, Texas on Feb. 7. There were also reports of children and one college student afflicted in Illinois and North Dakota on Dec. 4, 2013.