KEY POINTS

  • The FSIS "believes" the plastic pieces may be sharp, potentially causing injury
  • Customers who have a recalled product are being advised not to eat it
  • The chicken patties were shipped to Costco distribution centers in five states, possibly distributed further

Foster Farms is recalling more than 140,000 pounds of chicken patty products because they may contain hard, clear plastic pieces.

The company received customer complaints about the plastic pieces in the product, as per the announcement on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) website.

According to the FSIS, any meat or poultry product that is contaminated with foreign material is considered "adulterated" under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) as well as the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). That is "regardless of the physical characteristics of the foreign material," such as its shape or size.

In the case of the potential contaminant in the chicken patties, the FSIS noted that the pieces "could be sharp" and this could potentially cause injury. So far, there have been no reports of injuries related to eating the product.

"Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider," the agency said.

The recall affects the fully cooked, frozen "Chicken Patties Breaded Chicken Breast Patties With Rib Meat" products that were produced on Aug. 11, 2022. They came in 80-ounce plastic bags and were sent to Costco distribution centers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah and Washington. It's possible, however, that they were "further distributed to Costco retail locations."

The products have the best by date of Aug. 11, 2023, lot code 3*2223** and establishment number P-33901. The code 7527899724 may be located under the barcode, the FSIS noted.

Sample photos of the product's packaging are available here, and so is a guide on where to find the codes to identify the recalled products.

"FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers' freezers," the agency noted in the announcement.

Those who find that they have an affected product are advised not to eat it. Instead, they should either discard it or take it back to where it was bought. Retailers are also discouraged from selling it.

In total, some 148,000 pounds of the product are affected by the recall.

Those with questions about the recall may contact Foster Farms at 1-800-338-8051.

The current recall is classified as a "Class I-High or Medium Risk" issuance. This pertains to a recall wherein there is a "reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death," according to the FSIS.

Chicken, Burger, Food,
Representation. Taken/Pixabay