Imagine you are at the grocery store. You’re elated to see a bag of your favorite Chinese restaurant dish – beef and broccoli from P.F. Chang’s – in the frozen food section. You buy it and drive home. Maybe your mouth waters a little.
However, once you get into your kitchen and open the bag, a surprise spills out: orange chicken. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, nearly 120,000 pounds of Conagra Brands food was recalled last month for that very reason. Even more concerning, the orange chicken product contains egg, which was not declared on the bag’s label.
Severe egg allergies can lead to anaphylaxis, which the Mayo Clinic describes as a “life-threatening emergency that requires an immediate epinephrine (adrenaline) shot and a trip to the emergency room.”
So far, there have been no reports of adverse reactions due to the mislabeling incident. However, anyone who is concerned about a reaction should contact their healthcare provider.
After receiving two consumer complaints, the producing establishment notified the USDA FSIS about the packaging mix-up.
In a July 30 notice, the USDA announced that an Arkansas-based Conagra producer recalled 119,581 pounds of mislabeled food in 22-oz. packages that read “P.F. CHANG’S HOME MENU BEEF & BROCCOLI” produced between May 26 and May 27 this year. The bags have a “5006 2146 2012” lot code as well as a “BEST BY MAY 21 2023” expiration date label and a “P115” establishment number on the side panel above the nutrition facts.
“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers,” said the agency. “Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
As of Saturday, the recall was still active and high priority. It does not include any product sold at P.F. Chang’s restaurants.
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Conagra Brands at (800) 280-0301 or Consumer.Care@conagra.com. Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854), via email to MPHotline@usda.gov or the online 24/7 Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System.