More than 2 million pounds of chicken products have been recalled in eight states over fears of contamination with foreign matter such as metal, federal health officials said.
Arkansas-based Simmons Prepared Foods, Inc. recalled the items produced from October 21 through November 4 this year. This includes 2,071,397 pounds of poultry products, including ready to cook chicken whole legs, boneless skinless chicken, chicken leg quarters and chicken tenderloins, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said.
The products subject to recall have an establishment number “P-1949,” “P- 486” or “P-5837” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were shipped to Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
Those who’ve purchased the products are encouraged to throw them away or return them to the store where they were bought.
“Food safety is a very serious matter at Simmons,” the company said in a statement Wednesday. “That is why Simmons has issued a precautionary and voluntary recall of approximately 2 million pounds of fresh and frozen chicken products … We are working closely with regulatory authorities and affected customers to expedite this product recall.”
The recall notice says there are concerns that “some product may be frozen and in institutional freezers” and advised institutions not to serve the products.
The USDA has classified the recall as “Class I,” which means it 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.”
Simmons claims the company discovered the issue through food safety and quality checks and that there “have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products.”
“The only time I should feel a crunch when I bite into a piece of chicken is when it’s fried,” Dylan Robb, a consumer watchdog associate with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund said. “We shouldn’t have to worry whether the food we’re eating contains inedible and potentially harmful materials.”
Anyone concerned about an illness from these products are urged to contact their healthcare provider. Consumers with questions about the recall should call the company at 888-831-7007.
Click here to read the recall notice.
