The Hillshire meat company said its recall on tens of millions of pounds of its "meat-on-a-stick" products was due to alleged contamination issues.

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The Hillshire meat company said its recall on tens of millions of pounds of its "meat-on-a-stick" products was due to alleged contamination issues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Saturday the Texas-based facility of Hillshire Brands Company issued its recall over possible contamination of "extraneous material" on stick pieces included in roughly 58 million pounds of corn dog and "sausage on a stick" products, according to USDA's food safety and inspection unit.

Officials advised consumers, schools and institutions to throw away or return to items to its place of purchase.

USDA authorities said the Jimmy Dean and State Fair-branded items were packaged between March 17 and Friday listed "EST-582" or "P-894" as its printed sku number, and were sold online and shipped to scores of vendors across the U.S. food market.

Officials added the product owned and distributed by packaging giant Tyson Foods saw shipment sent to U.S. schools and facilities run by the U.S. Department of Defense.

"While the products were distributed to schools, it resulted from commercial sales and not part of food provided by the USDA for the National School Lunch Program," the department confirmed Saturday in a statement.

It was stated the issue was discovered after Hillshire received "multiple" consumer complaints of which five involved reported injury, followed by a company investigation that determined the meat-attached wooded sticks "entered the production process prior to product battering."

Meanwhile, officials in USDA's FSIS said the bureau has received not received any reports of injury.

U.S. food consumers with safety inquiries can call the USDA's toll-free meat and poultry hotline at: 888-674-6854.