Grace Brombach
Pilgrim’s Pride recalls 60,000 pounds of chicken nuggets potentially contaminated with rubber
Media Contacts
U.S. PIRG Education Fund
PHILADELPHIA — Pilgrim’s Pride is recalling approximately 60,000 pounds of chicken nuggets, after consumers reported that some of the products contained flexible rubber pieces. This alert follows a similar case in 2019, when Tyson Foods voluntarily recalled nearly 12 million pounds of its chicken strips after consumers discovered metal chunks and several suffered injuries.
In response, Grace Brombach, U.S. PIRG Education Fund Consumer Watchdog Associate, issued the following statement:
“This is not the first case we’ve seen of extraneous materials ending up in chicken nuggets and other processed foods. If this product is still in your freezer, make sure to throw it out immediately.
Unfortunately, this recall highlights a larger problem with our food safety system. Consumers shouldn’t have to worry whether the food they bring home contains metal, rubber, or other materials that could injure them or make them sick. Unfortunately, in 2019, this category of contamination accounted for over a quarter of USDA recalls and 75 percent of all pounds of recalled meat and poultry.
When older processing machines and equipment break down or run at high speeds, it becomes more likely that these materials end up in the food we put on our tables. We need companies to be more transparent during food production and for the government to conduct more stringent inspections more often to lessen the threat of contamination and keep consumers safer.”