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2 million pounds of chicken products were recalled Wednesday.
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More Than 2 Million Pounds Of Chicken Recalled For Possible Metal Contamination

by Gillian Walters

Due to possible metal contamination, Simmons Prepared Foods recalled 2 million pounds of chicken products Wednesday. The announcement was first issued by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and it categorized the recall as "Class 1," which means consuming the product can possibly cause considerable harm.

There are so many recalls these days that some people might feel a sense of fatigue, choosing to ignore certain health alerts unless it involves large quantities of a product. This is the case here, as Simmons Prepared Foods — an Arkansas-based company — recalled nearly 2.1 million pounds of chicken products across eight states due to possible contamination "with extraneous materials, specifically metal," according to a press release.

Simmons did not immediately respond to Romper's request for comment regarding the recall, but the company did issue a statement via its website. "Food safety is a very serious matter at Simmons. That is why Simmons has issued a precautionary and voluntary recall," the company said. "We are working closely with regulatory authorities and affected customers to expedite this product recall."

It continued, "This issue was discovered through Simmons standard food safety and quality checks ... Simmons Foods’ values the trust our customers place in us to deliver quality products that are safe. When something happens that is potentially inconsistent with this promise to our customers, it will always require careful and constant review to maintain our commitment to food safety."

I think it's safe to say nobody wants to chow down on extraneous bits of metal, so it's important you familiarize yourself with the details of this recall.

The recalled items were "produced from Oct. 21 through Nov. 4 and were shipped to stores in Pennsylvania, California, Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Arizona and Arkansas," according to Delish. Many of the affected products include Simmons' "ready-to-cook items, including whole chicken, wings, and breast meat." The whole list of recalled products can be found on the USDA's website.

Consumers should also look out for the USDA mark of inspection, including the following codes:

  • P-1949
  • P-486
  • P-5837

As I mentioned earlier, this is a Class 1 recall. This kind of recall is defined as a "health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death," according to the USDA's website.

And although this is a scary classification for sure, there have been lots of metal contamination recalls in the past few years. I know that's not a very comforting thought, per say, but it's worth nothing this problem is common. What's more? "There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption" of Simmons products at this time.

Given the increasingly common nature of these metal contamination recalls, "some companies are taking steps to reduce the problem, including some highly sophisticated ones like ultrasound and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques," writer Dan Mitchell reported for TIME. Mitchell added, "Production lines have been reconfigured and redesigned to minimize the number of parts that have metal moving against metal."

If you have any questions or concerns about this recall, don't hesitate to reach out to Simmons for more information. And if you have consumed any of the recalled products, consult a trusted medical professional.