Texas-based grocery chain H-E-B yanked a popular sausage from its shelves across the Lone Star State after a federal health alert flagged a potential danger lurking in the links. The culprit? Unwanted bits of plastic and metal that may have found their way into packages of APCO Brand Premium Chorizo.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) sounded the alarm on Thursday, identifying the 12-ounce vacuum-sealed packages in question. The affected chorizo, according to FOX San Antonio, bears the establishment number “EST. 602” inside the USDA inspection mark and was produced on February 12, 2024—making them not your ordinary spicy addition to a meal.

While no incidents of injury have fortunately been reported, the USDA isn't taking chances. They're advising anyone who's purchased the chorizo to either chuck it or return it to their local H-E-B for a full refund, as detailed by Express News. With a best-by date of May 12, 2024, the USDA is worried some customers might still have the potentially tainted product on hand—in their refrigerators or freezers, where they do not belong.

"FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers' refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged not to consume them," the USDA said in a media release. This health scare was initially triggered when a consumer reported seeing plastic and metal inside the raw chorizo, leading to the voluntary removal of the sausage from H-E-B shelves in an effort to protect consumers from potential harm.

The inconvenience of having to toss out your dinner plans pales in comparison to the harm that could come from ingesting these foreign materials. H-E-B and the USDA are taking the necessary steps to ensure that no Texan's chorizo cravings end in an emergency room visit. If you bought this product, heed their call—safety first, even if it means saying adios to your spicy sausage for now.