Health alert issued for pork carnitas products sold at Aldi

Key takeaways

• Public Health Alert Issued: The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a health alert for 16-oz. packages of pork carnitas sold at Aldi, potentially contaminated with metal fragments due to damaged processing equipment.

• Product Details and Risk: Affected products were produced on April 1–2, 2025, with "USE BY" dates of 06/30/2025 or 07/01/2025, and marked with "Est. 46049." While no injuries have been reported, FSIS urges consumers not to eat the product and to discard or return it.

• Consumer Guidance: Though the items are no longer sold in stores, they may still be in home freezers. Concerned consumers should contact a healthcare provider if necessary, and questions can be directed to Cargill’s hotline or the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline.

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a public health alert for consumers who may have purchased pork carnitas products that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically pieces of metal. 

FSIS did not request a recall because this product is no longer available for sale in commerce. However, the agency is concerned that it may still be in consumers’ freezers.

The fully cooked pork carnitas products were produced from April 1-2, 2025. The following products are subject to the public health alert:

• 16-oz. sleeved tray packages containing "Pork Carnitas SEASONED & SEARED PORK WITH JUICES SLOW COOKED WITH CITRUS" with "USE BY" dates "06/30/2025" or "07/01/2025" printed on the side of the packaging.

• The products subject to the public health alert bear the establishment number "Est. 46049" inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to Aldi supermarkets nationwide.

The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that during routine process checks that they found equipment damage that may have contaminated the carnitas products with pieces of metal.

What to do

There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to the consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

Consumers can contact Cargill's Consumer Hotline at 1-844-419-1574.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov.

For consumers who need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.