USDA warns of metal contamination in beef sold at Mom’s Organic Markets

Federal food safety regulators are warning consumers in Washington, D.C., and five states — Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia — not to eat a popular brand of ground beef that may contain metal fragments.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert Monday for a ground beef product that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically metal.

The alert applies to 16-ounce, vacuum-packed packages of “White Oak Pastures, Radically Traditional Farming, Grassfed Ground Beef,” bearing establishment number “EST 34729” inside the USDA mark of inspection and stamped on the back with “105761 Sell by 03/19/26.” The product was produced Feb. 26, 2026, and was shipped to a distributor and to Mom’s Organic Markets retail locations in Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

No recall was issued because the product is no longer available for purchase. The alert was published by FSIS on Monday.

The problem was discovered by the company after it received two consumer complaints. To date, no confirmed injuries have been reported as a result of the issue. Consumers who believe they may have been injured after eating the affected product are advised to contact a health care provider.

FSIS said it is concerned that some product may still be in consumers’ freezers and urged those who purchased it not to consume it, instead throwing it away or returning it to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions about the alert can contact White Oak Pastures at feedback@whiteoakpastures.com. Those with broader food safety questions can reach the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 or by email at MPHotline@usda.gov. Consumers who need to report a problem with a meat, poultry or egg product can access the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System 24 hours a day at foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov.