The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a "do-not-eat" warning for frozen beef, pork and chicken products sold online nationwide, according to a Nov. 6 safety alert. The products were made by Betterballen Foods LLC, a U.S.-based maker of Dutch-style foods, and may be mislabeled in a way that puts people with food allergies at risk. The beef products contain anchovy, and all the products contain sesame, two known allergens that FSIS says are missing from the labels.
FSIS said a formal recall was not issued because the products are no longer available for purchase. But the agency warns they could still be sitting in consumers' fridges and freezers, and eating them could trigger a serious allergic reaction in anyone sensitive to sesame or anchovy.
How to spot it
- Products were made on Oct. 15, Oct. 16 and Oct. 27, 2026, and carry the establishment number "EST. M3177" or "EST. P3177" inside the USDA mark of inspection.
- They were sold online nationwide by U.S.-European grocer Lowlands House, and may also have been sold at a festival and farmers' market in Greer, South Carolina.
- All items come in clear, vacuum-sealed packaging labeled "Betterballen Foods."
- Affected products include: 6-piece Bami Rolls (pork), lot codes BR-2026-01 and BR-2026-0, best by October 2027; 10-piece Saté Kroketten (chicken), lot code SK-1026-01, best by October 2027; and 12-piece Bitterballen (beef), lot code BB-1026-01, best by October 2027.
What to do if it happened to you
FSIS says consumers who have these products should not eat them. Instead, throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. Anyone who is concerned about a possible illness or injury linked to the product should contact their health care provider. Consumers with questions can reach Betterballen Foods at 312-340-4823 or [email protected].
This kind of quiet, after-the-fact alert is exactly why it pays to keep an eye on recall notices even when no illnesses have been reported yet. As this site's consumer reporter regularly reminds readers, mislabeling cases like this one can slip through without a full recall, and the only real protection is checking your own freezer against the lot codes and dates before a mislabeled allergen ends up on your plate.
Source: USA Today
