Glass Fragments In ‘Thousands’ Of Emerald Brand Cashews

Two different companies have issued voluntary recalls of their packaged products today, after glass fragments were found in packages of Emerald brand cashews, and Roland Foods brand red pepper strips.

The two recalls are unrelated, reports CNN, but consumers are cautioned not to consume packages of roasted and salted cashew halves in containers marked with best-if-used-by dates of December 12, 13, 18, and 21, 2016. The retail carton UPC on the containers of cashews that may contain glass fragments is: 0 10300 3324 1, and the inner UPC code is 0 10300 33399 9, reports CNN.

Emerald released a statement regarding the recall of roasted cashews that may contain glass fragments, stating that they believe the containers effected come from one specific location, and they are working to track down the source.

Product recall: Sold at Walgreens nationwide. Could be glass fragment contamination. https://t.co/Og0rUtt0ne pic.twitter.com/wjksAwumxS

— Air1 News (@air1news) January 14, 2016

“We believe the source of the glass to be the raw cashews received from one of our suppliers under a specific lot code,” said Emerald in a statement announcing the recall today.

The second glass fragment-based recall involves New York-based Roland Foods, and their popular roasted red pepper strips. The company issued a voluntary recall after a customer complaint detailing that glass fragments were found in one of the containers of red pepper strips. The cans which may contain glass fragments are five pounds, eight ounces and have the UPC number 041224456280, they were reportedly distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada, though no injuries have been reported.

“The recalling firm has notified the manufacturer of the findings in order to conduct an investigation as to what caused the problem,” said the statement released today by Roland Foods.

It’s not the first time recently that glass fragments have caused a recall of popular snack foods; just last month the Inquisitr reported that Nestle issued a voluntary recall citing that millions of their products may have been contaminated by glass fragments.

“We are recalling these products because they may contain small pieces of glass that could potentially cause injury,” said a statement released by Emerald just today.

The glass fragment-related recalls come after months of food recalls from various companies citing concerns with contaminants as wide-ranging as glass fragments and biological contaminants like listeria – which contaminated a large batch of frozen broccoli just last month.

Snyder's-Lance recalls some Emerald 100 Calorie Cashew Halves & Pieces – possible glass. https://t.co/W0G7nokzxB pic.twitter.com/dq9cdsXoTX

— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) April 4, 2016

As Digital Journal reports, in the past few weeks, at least four food products have been voluntarily recalled from store shelves after reports that they were contaminated by glass fragments, including popular DiGiorno frozen pizzas and Lean Cuisine meals. Early last month, Constellation Brands also issued a recall after fragments of glass were found in some of its beer bottles – particularly Corona beer.

Emerald’s parent company, Snyder’s-Lance, issued the recall statement today, informing consumers that their halved cashews may contain glass fragments, but as far as the company is aware, there have been no reported injuries due to contact with the glass fragments which may have been present in their popular cashew products.

Emerald has had several high-profile ad campaigns promoting their packaged nuts, including the roasted cashew products which have been reported to potentially contain glass fragments, but it remains unclear if they will issue a wider statement informing consumers of the potential contamination. The recalled packages were sold in seven-pack boxes of roasted cashew halves, which Food Poisoning Bulletin reports could number into the thousands.

“If you purchased this product, do not eat it. Throw it away in a sealed or double bagged container so other people can’t eat it, or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund,” advises Food Poisoning Bulletin.

There have been no reported injuries, but the above mentioned products may contain fragments of glass and should not be consumed, reports CNN.

[Photo via Elena M. Tarasova/Shutterstock]