Shufersal supermarket chain recalls frozen beans after insect found in package

The Shufersal supermarket chain on Wednesday announced a recall of one of its frozen vegetable products after a customer discovered an insect in a bag of beans.

Shufersal said in a statement it was pulling all of its brand’s 800-gram packages of frozen sliced yellow beans from shelves as it checks the issue.

The measure was decided on “as a precaution and responsibility towards our customers, even though there is no concern for public health,” it said, noting it was acting in coordination with the Health Ministry.

The specific packages being recalled are its sliced yellow beans with the barcode 7296073108085, with a sell-by date of 03/2024 and batch number 090-21. The beans are manufactured by the Pri Hagalil company, though marketed under the Shufersal brand name.

Shufersal asked the public to not use the specific item being recalled but stressed all of its other products are safe for use. It said the insect in the beans had come from a field.

Customers will be able to receive a refund on any items they have already bought, the company said, and provided a help number, 1-800-686868, or advised using the customer service section of its website.

Israel’s frozen vegetable market has been in the headlines recently after animal parts were found on several occasions in items produced by food giant Tnuva.

Last month Tnuva apologized to customers for the parts found in its Sunfrost products.

One customer found a mouse head in a packet of Sunfrost frozen green beans, and parts of a snake and a dead snail were found in two other separate incidents. However, Tnuva, Israel’s largest manufacturer, initially insisted on a narrow recall limited to products sharing a batch number.

Health Ministry inspectors eventually made a snap visit to the Tnuva factory producing the Sunfrost frozen vegetable line. The ministry said the factory’s food safety and control plans needed improvements and that more supervisors would be required at the various stages of production, including sorting to ensure no foreign objects are present.

According to a report on Channel 12 news, Tnuva only agreed to a wider recall after the Health Ministry issued a legal threat. Tnuva continues to insist that its products undergo sterilization and therefore remain safe to eat.

Earlier this year the Strauss Group shut down its production lines for numerous products due to concerns of salmonella contamination. After four months during which the food giant began implementing changes, the Health Ministry announced it would permit a gradual return to operations.

In May, Strauss announced a massive recall that began with popular chocolate products made by its subsidiary company Elite due to concerns of salmonella contamination. It later expanded the recall to include a wide range of additional products after ongoing lab tests found further suspected bacteria.

The move also affected exported items, and eventually expanded to include a range of chocolate and snack products, chewing gum, energy bars, and candies, sold in Israel, the US and Canada. It was believed to be the biggest recall in Israel’s history.