Washington importer recalls tamales that were not inspected at border

During their routine daily duties, federal inspectors discovered 9,000 pounds of chicken and pork tamales being imported by a Moxee, WA, company had not been checked at the U.S. border.

As a result, Los Hernandez LLC is recalling the “hand made” tamales from its own restaurant in Union Gap, WA. Some of the tamales “may have been packaged and sold to consumers from December 2018 through May 1, 2019,” according to a recall notice posted by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The tamales were in 30-pound boxes and labeled simply as “Los Hernandez Authentic Pork TAMALES Hand Made” and “Los Hernandez Authentic Chicken TAMALES Hand Made” according to the recall notice.

“There are no specific identifying labels for consumers who may have carried out the tamales from the restaurant,” the FSIS reported. “The tamale products were produced from Dec. 3, 2018, through Feb. 7, 2019.”

Product photos provided to the FSIS by the company appear to show stickers placed over the USDA mark of inspection, which would normally be used to help identify and trace such products.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider. Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Felipe Hernandez, president of Los Hernandez Tamales LLC, at 509-571-1394.

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