Urgent rice recall in seven states over rodent contamination

By JAMES CIRRONE, US NEWS REPORTER

Published: | Updated:

Bags of rice believed to be contaminated by rodents have been recalled by the thousands.

California-based Wehah Farms recalled 4600 cases of its Lundberg Family Farms Sustainable Wild Blend Gourmet Rice because the product 'may contain foreign object that appears to be of rodent origin.'

Each case contains six one-pound bags, meaning there were more than 27,000 bags affected by the recall.

The FDA enforcement report doesn't mention what this foreign object could be. 

This rice was sold in grocery stores in seven states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon and Wisconsin.

Pictured: The bag of recalled rice produced by Wehah Farms, doing business as Lundberg Family Farms

Pictured: The bag of recalled rice produced by Wehah Farms, doing business as Lundberg Family Farms

This is what the wild rice looks like. It's a mixture of black, brown, red and wild rice

This is what the wild rice looks like. It's a mixture of black, brown, red and wild rice

The recalled bags cost $5.99 and contained a mixture of black, brown, red, and wild rice, according to the company's website.

The lot number for these bags of rice is 231004, with a best by date of October 4, 2024. 

Anyone who has a product matching this description is urged to throw it away. 

The recall was first initiated by Wehah Farms on May 10, 2024, but the FDA put the risk of contamination at a Class II on Wednesday, July 17.

A Class II recall means if a person is exposed to the product in question, they could suffer 'temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences,' according to the FDA.

The risk of serious health consequences is 'remote.'

A Class III recall is the least serious, but a Class I recall is issued when there is a 'reasonable probability' that using the violative product could cause serious health conditions or even death.

The 4-pound and 25-pound bags of the same wild rice were not affected in this recall, and plenty of Lundberg Family Farms products are still available in stores.

The most recent food recall came just days ago when AW Farms, a Kentucky-based company, had to take thousands of pounds worth of hot dogs off store shelves after they skipped a key federal inspection. 

Product Recalls

Most watched News videos