011235 Firm Recalls 266,000 Pounds of Ham Products

Washington - Two firms in Kentucky and Ohio are voluntarily recalling 266,000 pounds of ham products that may be contaminated with non-food foreign material, the U.S. Agriculture Department said.

The recalls occurred after federal meat inspectors were notified that someone may have tampered with the hams, USDA said.

Cumberland Gap Provisions Co., a Middleton, Ky., firm, is recalling 251,000 pounds of the meat, USDA said. The ham, which was produced Dec. 18-19, was distributed to retail and wholesale firms in Kentucky, Indiana, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio, USDA said.

R.D. McGregor, president of the company, told Reuters its supplier, meat processor IBP Inc., informed Cumberland Gap Provisions that an IBP employee may have placed nails in the fresh meat, which was purchased by Cumberland for processing.

But McGregor added that all of the recalled hams have been put through a metal detector and the tests were negative. He said the hams will be destroyed, however.

An additional 15,000 pounds of ham products were being recalled for the same reason by Ohio Packing Co., of Columbus, USDA said.

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