A relatively small recall of chicken nuggets reported earlier this month has expanded. Now, Texas-based poultry processor Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. has issued a recall for more than 4.5 million pounds of chicken products.
The chicken—boxes of nuggets, strips, breaded patties and popcorn-style products among others—may be contaminated with extraneous materials including plastic, wood, rubber and metal, according to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
Sold under Gold Kist Farms, Pierce and Sweet Georgia brands, 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.
FSIS says the problem was first discovered after the company received several consumer complaints regarding plastic contamination of the chicken nuggets. Food safety inspectors 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.