Local Taco Bells unaffected by 20-state beef recall

A sweeping recall of seasoned beef from Taco Bell locations in 20 states, including New York, and Washington D.C. was ordered by the fast-food behemoth on Oct. 11, after the a report of ‘metal shavings’ in a customer’s menu item.

Approximately 2.3 million pounds of seasoned beef had been determined to be from the food-processing location to which the tainted batch was traced. The tainted product was then sent to distribution centers in five states, including New York.

The communities of Wantagh and Seaford contain two locations of the popular chain restaurant: one on Wantagh Avenue, in Wantagh, and another on Sunrise Highway in Seaford.

Customers at the two locations were unaware of the recall, which did not appear to have any affect on the volume of their business.

The manager of the Seaford location declined to comment, saying only that “you’re going to have to call corporate.”

Taco Bell North American President Julie Masino released an official statement to media. “Nothing is more important than our customers’ safety, and nothing means more to us than trust,” Masino said. “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.”

A representative of the Nassau County Department of Health disclosed that the department is aware of the reports and concern, and is actively monitoring the situation. However, the Department of Health has not ordered any additional inspections at any Nassau County locations to this point.

The department also confirmed that no reports of illness related to consumption of metallic-tainted beef from any Taco Bell location have been received so far.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.”

The county Department of Health remains adamant that they are “confident Taco Bell did the right thing” when recalling the seasoned beef in question. They maintain that they do annual checks of restaurants and give them a grade based on multiple factors, including cleanliness. The department also said they “send more inspectors if we deem it necessary.”

The department also said that “this is a concern yes,” but not one it believes can spread.

Taco Bell has dealt with public health scares before, including a2006 E. coli outbreak and multiple reports of salmonella as recently as 2012.