YUM Yum Brands Inc

By Kimberly Chin

Taco Bell Corp. said it voluntarily recalled about 2.3 million pounds of seasoned beef from its restaurants and distribution sites Friday after a customer reportedly found a metal shaving in their food.

Taco Bell, which is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM), said the products were removed from restaurants in 21 states across the eastern Midwest, northern Southeast and Northeast regions.

"As soon as we received the first consumer complaint, we immediately acted to remove the product from the affected restaurants and proactively worked with the supplier to inform the USDA of our steps to protect our guests," said Julie Masino, president of Taco Bell North America, in prepared remarks.

The U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said it was notified of three customer complaints regarding the taco and burrito filling. The agency said there haven't been any confirmed reports of adverse reactions because of the consumption of the products.

The supplier, Kenosha Beef International Ltd., has moved to recall an undetermined amount of seasoned beef products produced from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4, the agency said.

"We're working with our customer to help protect our customer and the folks that come into their stores," said Dennis Vignieri, chief executive of Kenosha Beef International. "Food safety is important to us."

The product was produced at one plant location on one of two production lines. The product was sent to distribution centers in Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia, Taco Bell said.

Write to Kimberly Chin at kimberly.chin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 15, 2019 13:42 ET (17:42 GMT)

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