Foster Farms recalls 148,000 pounds of chicken sold at Costco that may contain plastic chicken nuggets instead of meat, federal health officials say.
The California company says the recalled chicken was sold in the US and Canada beginning on June 14 – before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its first plastic chicken nugget recall on June 24 to stop the spread of toxic plastic.
Foster Farms says the chicken nuggets contained in the recall “have the potential to be toxic,” and that the company is looking to replace them with different chicken products under the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) system.
“While we regret any customer inconvenience, we are working to find an alternative source for the product,” the statement said.
The recall came just days after the FDA issued the first plastic chicken nugget recall to stop the spread of toxic plastic. The agency said the contaminated products may contain metal, such as zinc, nickel and lead.
Consumers who believe the recalled chicken is unsafe can mail it back to Foster Farms at their expense, or to a retail location they visited for the recalled product. People can also take it to their health care provider to be tested, but testing may not be covered by insurance.
Some grocery stores are also recalling other Foster Farms products that might contain plastic.
FDA officials said the agency would work with the company to determine how to replace these products with safe choices. The FDA said most of the consumer testing performed so far has shown that the plastics may not be harmful.
The company said it is looking to create new chicken products that meet federal minimum standards for contamination of chicken with harmful microorganisms and toxins.
“As part of our comprehensive plan to improve the safety of our products, we are looking at using alternative chicken products (in the meantime) that meet USDA standards and will not contain plastic,” the company said in a statement.
Foster Farms has reported more than 50,000 complaints about the company’s chicken products over the past four years, and
