Indianapolis, In. — The Indiana Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is instructing clients to immediately stop using divided plates that illustrate the recommended distribution of the four food groups following reports that two plates caught fire while in the microwave. No injuries have been reported.
The plates have been distributed through Indiana WIC clinics since June. The program was notified of the two incidents on Nov. 8 and immediately instructed WIC clinics in Indiana to halt distribution of the plates. WIC clients are being notified of the potential hazard.
“The safety of Indiana WIC clients is our top priority,” said Eldon Whetstone, assistant commissioner for the Health and Human Services Commission at the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), which administers the Indiana WIC program. “We urge all clients to return these plates to their WIC clinic or destroy them immediately.”
The plates contain dividers that include labels showing the portion sizes for protein, grains, vegetables and fruits and are labeled as being safe for microwave use. Approximately 8,600 plates were sent to more than three dozen Indiana WIC agencies.
Whetstone said not all plates are impacted but that the vendor has determined that the labels on the defective plates contained aluminum, which is not safe for use in microwaves.
