Perdue Pulls Chicken Nuggets for Plastic Bits
July 20th, 2010 ksager
Perdue Farms, Inc., of Perry, Ga., is recalling approximately 91,872 pounds of frozen chicken nugget products that might contain foreign materials, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.
Sold at Walmart stores nationwide under the Great Value brand, the nuggets could contain pieces of plastic.
The nuggets are sold in 1-pound, 13-ounce bags and have the established number P-33944, a case code of 89008 A0160 and a best used by date of June 9, 2011. Cases contain eight bags each. About 92,000 pounds — more than 50,000 packages — were shipped to stores nationwide.
Consumer complaints about small pieces of blue plastic in the nuggets led to the recall, the USDA said. No injuries or illnesses have been reported in connection to the nuggets, but the USDA suggests anyone who has eaten them and is concerned should contact their doctor.
“We determined the likely source was a small plastic ring that got into the raw material before the nuggets were formed,” Bruce Stewart-Brown, Perdue’s Senior Vice President for Food Safety and Quality, said in a statement. “This would have resulted in a minimal amount of consumer packages potentially containing nuggets with the plastic, which is bright blue in color.”
This recall includes:
- 1-pound, 13-ounce bag of “GREAT VALUE Fully Cooked Chicken Nuggets.” Each bag bears the establishment number “P-33944” as well as a case code of “89008 A0160” on the backside of the packaging. There is also a “BEST IF USED BY” date of June 9, 2011.
Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Perdue Consumer Relations at (877) 727-3447.
Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at www.AskKaren.gov. “Ask Karen” live chat services are available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. 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 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
