Read This Before You Eat The Taquitos And Chimichangas In Your Freezer

If you're getting ready to enjoy a ready-to-heat meal of taquitos or chimichangas, the last thing you would expect is a bit of plastic mixed into the food. Which is why the government's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced the recall of several brands of beef and chicken taquitos as well as chimichangas. KAAL-TV says food manufacturer Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. had discovered pieces of hard plastic in a barrel of diced green chilis from their ingredient supplier, Sun Valley Foods, which launched the product recall.

The recall is being carried out because these plastic bits could be a choking hazard or might damage teeth and gums. The FSIS says the recall covers a range of products, including beef taquitos rolled in corn tortillas and chicken and cheese taquitos rolled in flour tortillas, both of which are sold under the Great Value and Casa Mamita labels. Also on the list are multiple José Olé brand products, such as "Loaded Beef Nacho" chimichangas and beef taquitos. All bear the USDA mark of inspection.

The products have different use-by dates, ranging from June 26 to July 18, 2021, and all of them have the establishment number "EST 5590," "P5590," or "EST. 17417" printed above their respective expiration dates. The FSIS says all of the items were shipped to retail locations across the country. Anyone who has them in their freezer should either throw them away or return them to the retail outlets where they were purchased.

Recalls like this are usually voluntary on the part of the manufacturer. But the FSIS has other ways to discover that food might have a problem: By testing a sample, through reports filed by field inspectors, and through data taken from other government agencies that reveal a problem within the food supply. The FSIS also does what it calls "effectiveness checks" to make sure the company which issued the recall has taken the proper steps to inform all the relevant parties that they should pull the recalled products from circulation.