Distressing news for people who like to eat chickens. Foster Farms of Farmerville, Louisiana has issued a massive recall because some of their chicken breasts are riddled with hard — and maybe even sharp — pieces of plastic.
The recall covers about 148,000 pounds of fully cooked frozen chicken breast patties. The offending poultry, all sold at Costco, are packaged as 80-ounces bags of breast and rib meat.
Related: Vegan Fried Chicken is exploring new ways of yummy
Foster Farms shipped the recalled chicken to Costco distribution centers in California, Colorado, Arizona, Washington and Utah. Some may have also been shipped to Costco retail locations.
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Consumers complained about finding pieces of hard, clear plastic in their chicken breasts, which is how the problem came to national attention. The recalled chicken has a best-by date of August 11, 2023.
Recalls are classed as I, II or III depending on risk, with Class I being the worst. The recalled chicken is a Class I, which the USDA describes as “the most serious and involve a health hazard situation in which there is a reasonable probability that eating the food will cause health problems or death.”
So far, no injuries have been confirmed. But the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service “believes the hard plastic pieces could be sharp and possibly cause an injury,” it said in a statement.
If you’ve bought any frozen chicken breast patties from Costco recently, look in the freezer and check for these numbers: P-33901 and lot code 3*2223 on the back, and 7527899724 under the barcode. You should throw them away. Or, better yet, return the chicken and demand a refund.
If you browse recalls on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, you’ll notice an overwhelming trend. While any food could conceivably be tainted, mostly animal products are being recalled. Currently, beef shepherd’s pie, pork potstickers and pork sausage are just a few of the many questionable products listed. So when you return your tainted chicken, consider buying some versatile tofu to cook for dinner. Since it’s Costco, pick up a case or two.
Via CBS News
Lead image via Foster Farms
