Perdue Recalls Over 167K Pounds of Chicken Products Due to Embedded Foreign Objects: What You Need to Know

It’s the summer of food recalls, it seems. On the heels of candy being pulled off shelves due to salmonella concerns, a listeria outbreak amongst deli meat, canned coffee that posed a food poisoning risk and a produce recall, a popular chicken brand is next on the list. Perdue Foods LLC, in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has voluntarily recalled 167,171 pounds of frozen breaded chicken breast tenders and nuggets after a foreign material was identified in some consumer packages.  

Why Perdue Foods is recalling frozen chicken nuggets and tenders  

The problem was discovered after consumers issued complaints about metal wire embedded in the product and notified the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the issue, according to the USDA.  

There have been no reports of illness or injury associated with the products, the USDA notes. Perdue says the metal material in chicken nuggets was found in a “limited number” of consumer packages. 

“We determined the material to be a very thin strand of metal wire that was inadvertently introduced into the manufacturing process,” explains Jeff Shaw, senior vice president of food safety and quality for Perdue. “Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to voluntarily recall all of these packages of products.” 

Which products did Perdue recall? 

Only the following products have been identified in the recall of the 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken, according to Perdue: 

• PERDUE SIMPLY SMART ORGANIC Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets sold in the freezer case with a “Best If Used By” date of March 23, 2025. The package also bears a UPC Bar Code of 0-72745-80656-8. 

• PERDUE Breaded Chicken Breast Tenders sold in the freezer case with a “Best If Used By” date of March 23, 2025. The package also bears a UPC Bar Code of 0-72745-80431-1. 

• Butcher Box Organic Free Fully Frozen-Cooked Breast Chicken Nuggets with a “Best If Used By” date of March 23, 2025. The package also bears the UPC Bar Code of 0-72745-80648-3. 

What to do if you currently have the recalled products  

If you have any of these packages in your home, such as the Perdue Simply Smart Organics breaded chicken breast nuggets, the USDA urges you not to consume the product. Instead, dispose of it or return it to the store for a refund. You can also contact Perdue Foods at 866-866-3703 for a full refund of your purchase.  

What customers are saying about the Perdue recall 

A Reddit thread discussing the news saw one buyer revealing their own experience with what they believe was affected chicken.  

“Months ago, I found them in my nuggets when they started to spark and burn while microwaving the nuggets,” one user wrote on the forum. “I reported them to my state's department of health, but my pictures (and offer to send the remains) were not sufficient proof apparently. And Purdue refused to give me a refund.”

Additionally, others questioned how the metal went undiscovered due to regulations in manufacturing facilities.  

“These facilities have metal detectors pretty much as a requirement of their HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plan,” said one commenter “Someone didn't do their job and didn't test the metal detectors as required.” 

Past Perdue recalls  

In 2019, Perdue issued a recall for a different reason, pulling approximately 495 pounds of frozen ready-to-eat chicken products from stores due to misbranding and undeclared allergens. The Simply Smart Organics product contained wheat, which was not declared on the product label. The products were also labeled as gluten-free chicken breast tenders despite containing chicken nugget products.   

That same year, the company recalled approximately 31,703 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products which may have been contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of bone material.  

In both cases, customers alerted the company and FSIS about the issues, but no adverse reactions were reported.  

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