Tyson Foods recalls over 130k pounds of chicken nuggets after plastic contamination scare

Friday, September 30, 2016 by: Vicki Batts
Tags: Tyson Foods, contamination, food recall

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(NaturalNews) The processed food giant Tyson Foods has just issued a massive recall on more than 130,000 pounds of their chicken nuggets, due to concerns that the products are "contaminated with hard plastic," NBC News is reporting. Doesn't that just sound delightful?

The recall is a Class I Recall – which indicates that there is a reasonable amount of concern for serious, adverse health effects or even death. According to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) statement, the problem with the chicken went unnoticed by Tyson until the company started receiving complaints from customers. The report states, "According to Tyson Foods, the plastic material ranged in size from 21mm in length and 6.5mm in diameter and may have come from a round, hard plastic rod used to connect a plastic transfer belt. The firm said the products pass through a metal detector, but the plastic is not detectable to this technology."

In other words, bits of plastic that are nearly the same size as a chicken nugget somehow got breaded and put into bags. Don't they have people that manage their production lines to prevent this sort of thing? If they don't, apparently it is something they might want to consider for the future.

If you or someone you know enjoys Tyson Foods products, here is a list of the nuggets that have been identified as being potentially contaminated:

5-lb. bag containing "Tyson FULLY COOKED PANKO CHICKEN NUGGETS" with a "Best If Used By" date of July 18, 2017 and case code 2006SDL03 and 2006SDL33.

20-lb. bulk packages containing "SPARE TIME Fully Cooked, Panko Chicken Nuggets, Nugget Shaped Chicken Breast Pattie Fritters With Rib Meat" with a production date of July 18, 2016 and case code 2006SDL03.

Consumers who have purchased products that match either of these descriptions are being urged by the FSIS, and presumably Tyson Foods, to not eat these foods, and to return them to the store at which they were purchased. According to FSIS, so far there have been no reported injuries or other adverse events related to the plastic-filled chicken nuggets. Hopefully, it stays that way.

For some reason, chicken nuggets appear to be shockingly prone to contamination with plastic shards. Earlier this year, both Applegate Farms and Foster Poultry Farms issued recalls for the same exact issue, in March and May, respectively. Applegate Farms' recall was for a mere 4,500 pounds, but Foster Poultry Farm's recall was for a staggering 220,000 pounds of product.

Chicken nuggets may be a childhood favorite, but it is beginning to look like it may be time to retire these products from the kitchen, if you haven't done so already. It is becoming increasingly apparent that these industries do not care enough about their consumers – and when it comes to chicken nuggets, a significant portion of those consumers are kids. Do you know who is going to be at the greatest risk of choking on plastic shards in their food? Small children. The sheer negligence across the board with big food corporations is simply unforgivable.

While it may not be as simple as sticking frozen food in the oven, you might want to try making your own chicken nuggets at home. They can be made with the meat substitute of your choice or some free-range chicken. You can even make a big batch of them at once and freeze them for future use. It may take more time, but at least you'll know what is in your food.

Sources:

NBCNews.com

FSIS.USDA.gov