WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that were illegally imported from the Philippines. The Philippines is not eligible to export meat and poultry products to the United States.

The following products are subject to the health alert regardless of the production date:

• 150-g. can of “Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF.”
• 175-g. can of “Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF.”
• 260-g. can of “Argentina BRAND CORNED BEEF.”
• 150-g. can of “PUREFOODS CORNED BEEF.”
• 210-g. can of “PUREFOODS CORNED BEEF.”
• 150-g. can of “CHUNKEE CORNED BEEF.”
• 190-g. can of “CHUNKEE CORNED BEEF.”
• 7.43-oz. jar of “Lady’s Choice Chicken Spread.”

The products do not bear any producing establishment information. They were shipped to restaurant and retail locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia.

FSIS discovered the problem when performing routine surveillance activities at a retailer. There, inspectors found meat and poultry products from the Philippines that were ineligible for exportation to the United States.

FSIS is continuing to investigate how the products entered the country.