Which Pilgrim's Pride Chicken Products Were Recalled? The List Was Just Expanded

Just when you thought the trouble was dying down, Pilgrim’s Pride this week expanded its April recall to include almost 5.1 million pounds of cooked chicken products. According to the USDA, there were concerns that the chicken may be contaminated with foreign materials. The recall began last month after Pilgrim’s Pride received numerous customer complaints of plastic contamination in the company’s cooked chicken nuggets. Since then, even more chicken products were pulled from freezers over fears of contamination with extraneous materials like plastic, wood, rubber, and metal. The chicken products recalled by Pilgrim’s Pride are all pre-cooked and include nuggets, tenderloins, patties, and patty fritters.

There haven’t been any “confirmed reports of adverse reactions” from consumption of the recalled Pilgrim’s Pride products, said the USDA in an April press release. However, they are advising those who may have purchased the products to not consume them and to either throw them out or return them to the store.

The Texas-based company is the largest poultry producer in the United States and their recalled chicken products were sold under different brand names in stores and commercially, including Gold Kist Farms, Pierce, and Sweet Georgia. All of the Pilgrim’s Pride products were produced between Aug. 21, 2014 and March 1, 2016 but the latest expansion involves chicken produced exclusively between May 6 and Dec. 3 of last year.

Pilgrim’s Pride shipped the potentially contaminated products to grocery stores and other institutions like high schools across the country, according to a USDA press release. A month after the initial announcement, the Pilgrim’s Pride recall is now widespread so you should be vigilant about checking out your cooked chicken products carefully.

Take a look in your freezer to see if any of your chicken products have been recalled by Pilgrim’s Pride. You can find the recalled chicken labels here to help you double check your stock. Although no one has been hurt by these contaminated products yet, if your child goes crazy for their school’s chicken nuggets, keep an eye out and be sure to report any concerns of injury or illness to your healthcare provider.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken recall, the USDA suggests you call James Brown from Pilgrim’s Pride at 800-321-1470 or you can reach out to the USDA’s meat and poultry hotline at 888-674-6854.

The Pilgrim’s Pride chicken recall is just another in a long list of products recalled in the past month. It can sometimes feel overwhelming for consumers, checking up to see which products are okay to feed their families, but it is necessary to take stock of the current contents of your pantry to keep your family healthy.