Tyson Recalls 36,000 Pounds of Chicken Nuggets Because They May Contain Rubber
On Tuesday, Tyson Foods recalled over 36,000 pounds of chicken nuggets after micro pieces of rubber were found in the bite-sized meat product.
Tyson, which is known as one of the United States’ largest meat producers, said they discovered the contamination after several consumers reached out to the company to report finding pieces of “soft, blue rubber” inside their food.
Just one day before Tyson’s recall, Perdue, another large meat retailer, recalled more than 16,000 pounds of chicken nuggets because of misbranding and undeclared allergens.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the packaging did not contain a warning that the product contains milk, which is one of the most common allergens.
Earlier in January, Perdue issued a separate recall of over 68,000 pounds of chicken nuggets after several customers complained that the meat was contaminated with “extraneous materials, specifically wood,” the U.S.D.A. said.
When it comes to Tyson’s nuggets, the rubber parts came from a seal on a piece of equipment used to produce nuggets, Worth Sparkman, a Tyson spokesman, told the New York Times.
According to Sparkman, part of the rubber seal was pinched during the normal process and fell into the chicken blend that makes the nuggets.
Perdue issued its latest recall when a grocery store informed them about the mislabeled products.
“These items were produced with the wrong back panel label and have an incorrect ingredient statement that did not have the milk allergen declared on the package,” Perdue said in a statement.
Perdue learned about the wood-contaminated nuggets after three consumers filed complaints with the company. The Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is part of the U.S.D.A., also received a complaint about the wood.
Perdue has not yet described how wood was introduced into the nuggets.
While the hazardous materials have been found in the meat, there have been no confirmed reports of “adverse reactions” to the nuggets in any of the three recalls, the U.S.D.A. said.
“Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a health care provider,” the agency added.