Make no mistake: Hot Pockets are a staple, cheap meal for an on-the-go broke college student.
But that may be changing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recently issued a recall on Hot Pockets.
A total of 762,615 pounds of Nestle’s frozen not ready-to-eat pepperoni Hot Pockets were contaminated, the USDA reported. The product was distributed throughout the country before the discovery of pieces of glass and hard plastic were reportedly found in hot pockets.
In a report posted by the United States Department of Agriculture, the contaminated product was “54-oz carton packages containing 12 Nestlé HOT POCKETS BRAND SANDWICHES: PREMIUM PEPPERONI MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN & BEEF PIZZA GARLIC BUTTERY CRUST” with a “BEST BEFORE FEB 2022” date and lot codes 0318544624, 0319544614, 0320544614, and 0321544614.
There has been only one report of a minor oral injury from eating the pepperoni Hot Pockets. But the recall has made those who enjoy Hot Pockets wary of other flavors.
Jada Hill a FAMU student, is one of many Hot Pocket consumers.
“I literally have some in my freezer and my son eats them and hasn’t said anything,” Hill said.
People with this product are urged to throw them away or return the product back to the location where it was purchased. The Hot Pocket recall is a high health risk because of the objects found in the microwaveable meal could lead to continuous health issues or possibly even death.
Brittany Nix stared at the empty freezer aisle where Hot Pockets were located in a local supermarket. When informed about the reason for the recall, Nix said, “I used to think it was weird when people would peel apart Hot Pockets and pick at meat inside but maybe they were on to something.”
The New York Times reported that Nestle did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the Hot Pocket recall, but the international food conglomerate later released a statement: “The quality, safety and integrity of Nestlé USA and Hot Pockets products remain our No. 1 priority,” Nestlé said. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this action represents to both our consumers and retail customers.”
For more information regarding questions and concerns you may contact Nestlé consumer services at (800) 350-5016 or Dana Stambaugh, corporate communications for Nestlé at (571) 457-3803 or at Dana.Stambaugh@us.nestle.com.