Health Hazard Class I Chicken Product RECALL Effects Institutions, Schools Nationwide

Note: This bulletin was issued under the heading: CLASS I RECALL / HEALTH RISK: HIGH. According to the USDA Health Risk Classification Chart. a Class I rating means: This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2016 – Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., a Waco, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 5,176,844 pounds of fully cooked chicken products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The products subject to recall bears establishment number “EST. 20728” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped for institutional use nationwide. According to Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. records, schools have purchased products through the company’s commercial channels.

The problem was first discovered after the firm received several consumer complaints regarding plastic contamination of the chicken nuggets. The firm notified FSIS personnel of the issue on April 6, 2016. FSIS personnel identified more affected product types and dates of production after investigating additional consumer complaints of foreign material contamination received by the recalling firm.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the products are no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact James Brown, Consumer Relations Manager, at (800) 321-1470. Media with questions about the recall can contact Cameron Bruett, Head of Corporate Affairs, at (970) 506-7801.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.

Click the following link to read the full Press Release, which includes a list of all of the recently recalled products: FSIS RC 027-2016 Foreign Materials EXPANSION 2 Nationwide