Foster Farms is recalling around 148,000 pounds of fully cooked frozen chicken breast patty products over possible plastic contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Oct. 29.
The American poultry company, headquartered in Livingston, California, produced the frozen breaded chicken breast patties on Aug. 11, 2022.
They were then shipped to Costco distribution centers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, and Washington, and may have been further distributed to Costco retail locations.
As of Oct. 31, the product was not listed on the recall page on Costco’s official website.
In total, 148,000 pounds of 80-ounce bags of 20 pieces of breaded chicken breast patties with rib meat are being recalled because they may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically “hard clear pieces of plastic,” according to officials.
USDA said the contamination was first discovered when Foster Farms notified the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) that it had received a number of complaints from consumers who had found the hard clear plastic “embedded in fully” in the breaded chicken breast patty products.
The affected products have a best-by date of Aug. 11, 2023. The bags have the establishment number P-33901 and lot code 3*2223** on the back edge of the packaging, and 7527899724 under the barcode.
Plastics Could Cause Potential Injury
While there have been no confirmed reports of injuries associated with consuming the specified products to date, FSIS raised concerns that the hard plastic pieces could be sharp enough to potentially cause an injury.
“Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider,” USDA said.
Consumers who may have purchased the recalled products are warned not to eat them and either throw them away or return them to the store at which they bought them. Retailers are also being asked not to sell them any more.
The recall is a Class I high, which means, as defined by FSIS, that there 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.”
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact the Foster Farms Consumer Hotline at 1-800-338-8051 or email them at [email protected].
The Foster Farms recall comes shortly after microplastics, or extremely small plastic particles composed of mixtures of polymers and functional additives, were detected in the breast milk of women for the first time.
The discovery has raised concerns over the potential toxic effects and health impact they may have on infants.
The Epoch Times has contacted Costco for comment.
From The Epoch Times
