Federal officials are urging operators of institutional kitchens to check their inventories following complaints from school officials about pieces of plastic in Tyson brand chicken. The company has launched a nationwide recall of more than 190,000 pounds of chicken “fritters.”
No confirmed injuries or other adverse consequences had been reported in relation to the implicated chicken nuggets as of the posting of the recall notice by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Tyson reported the 190,000 pounds of chicken products were produced on Feb. 28.
“FSIS was notified of the problem on June 5 when Tyson Foods Inc. advised FSIS of three consumer complaints from schools of foreign material in the breaded chicken fritter product,” according to the recall notice.
“Tyson Foods Inc. distributed the product to institutions, including schools. While the product was distributed to schools, it resulted from a commercial sale and was not part of food provided by the USDA for the National School Lunch Program.”
Kitchen operators can identify the recalled ready-to-eat, breaded chicken product by looking for the following label information:
- “FULLY COOKED, WHOLE GRAIN GOLDEN CRISPY CHICKEN CHUNK FRITTERS-CN”
- 32.81-pound cases containing four 8.2-pound bags
- Case Code 0599NHL02
- Establishment number “P-1325” printed inside the USDA mark of inspection
The recalled product was not packaged for retail sale to consumers. Tyson shipped the chicken fritters to institutional foodservice locations nationwide.
“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in food service freezers. Food service locations who have purchased these products are urged not to serve them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” according to the recall notice.
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Tyson Foods consumer relations staff at 888-747-7611.
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