May 6, 2019

Tyson Foods expands product recall of chicken breast strips

Tyson Foods, Inc., has decided to expand a voluntary recall originally issued on March 21, 2019, of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strip products made at one location between October 1, 2018 and March 8, 2019.

In recent days, more US consumers reported finding fragments of metal in a small number of products. The company is expanding the recall in the interest of public health even though the vast majority of the products have already been consumed without any reported incidents.

"Consumers expect that the food they eat is safe. In their best interest and in an abundance of caution, we're taking quick and decisive action to expand this recall," said Barbara Masters, Tyson's vice president of regulatory food policy, food and agriculture.

"Our company is taking corrective action at the location that makes these products. We have discontinued use of the specific equipment believed to be associated with the metal fragments, and we will be installing metal-detecting X-ray machinery to replace the plant's existing metal-detection system. We will also be using a third-party video auditing system for metal-detection verification."  

"Safety is at the core of everything we do. We're committed to producing safe, healthy food that our consumers and customers can rely on every day," Masters added. "It is unacceptable to Tyson Foods that any product might not meet our standards. Because of these additional consumer reports, we've decided to take this precautionary step to make sure that we're meeting our own expectations and the expectation of consumers."

The expanded recall includes Tyson^® branded products as well as private label products made for customers. These products were sold to retailers and some foodservice wholesalers and distributed nationwide in the US and the US Virgin Islands. These products were produced at one plant location.

- Tyson Foods