USDA issues public health alert for Perdue Chicken tenders contaminated with potential plastic pieces
A public health alert has been issued for Perdue's frozen ready-to-eat chicken breast tenders
U.S. food safety officials issued a public health alert for frozen Perdue chicken tenders, saying they may be contaminated with extraneous materials, "specifically small pieces of clear plastic and blue dye."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert on Tuesday about Perdue’s gluten-free chicken breast tenders.
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The front of the impacted Purdue gluten-free chicken breast tenders packaging. (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service / Fox News)
The contamination was first brought to light when a customer noticed that a chicken tender had a small piece of clear plastic and blue dye inside of it. Perdue then reported the potential contamination to the Food Safety and Inspection Service, officials said.
"We determined the source of the material to be blue ink and a small piece of plastic from an ink pen cartridge that was inadvertently introduced into the raw material before the tenders were breaded," Jeff Shaw, Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Quality for Perdue, said in a press release. "This likely resulted in a few packages that potentially contain the substance; however, out of an abundance of caution, we decided to voluntarily withdraw all packages of tenders produced on the day of the incident."
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The alert applies to 42 ounce bags of Perdue's frozen, ready to eat "gluten-free" chicken tenders produced on July 12, 2022. The products bear establishment number P-33944 and a "Best if Used By" date of July 12, 2023. The items were shipped to BJ's Wholesale Club locations across the United States.
The back of the impacted Purdue gluten-free chicken breast tenders packaging shows the "use by date" and "plant code." (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service / Fox News)
To date, there have been no confirmed reports of injuries or adverse reactions from anyone who ate the product, according to the press release.
According to officials, a recall has not been requested, because the product is no longer available for purchase. However, the USDA is concerned that the product may be present in consumers' freezers and urged customer's to throw away the bags of chicken or return them.
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Customers with concerns or questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or email MPHotline@usda.gov.
Perdue Foods did not immediately comment on Fox News' request for comment.