Perdue Recalls 167,000 Pounds of Chicken Nuggets Over Metal Contamination

Perdue Foods is recalling more than 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken nuggets and tenders after customers reported finding metal wires embedded in the products.

According to Perdue and the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the recall involves products produced in March 2024. The affected items, all packaged in vacuum-sealed bags, include 22-oz. packages of Perdue Breaded Chicken Tenders, Butcher Box Organic Chicken Breast Nuggets, and Perdue Simply Smart Organics Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets.

In a statement released on Friday, Aug. 16, the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said, “Perdue Foods LLC, a Perry, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 167,171 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken breast nugget and tender products that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically metal.”

The company that voluntarily recalled its products noted that the material was “identified in a limited number of consumer packages.”

In a separate statement, Jeff Shaw, Perdue’s senior vice president of food safety and quality, explained that the company “determined the material to be a very thin strand of metal wire that was inadvertently introduced into the manufacturing process.”

He added, “Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to voluntarily recall all of these packages of products.”

According to the USDA, all affected products, which were distributed to retailers nationwide and sold online, bear the code P-33944 on the package.

To date, there have been no confirmed injuries or adverse reactions related to the consumption of these products, according to FSIS and Perdue. However, FSIS expressed concern that the products may still be in consumers’ freezers.

“Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them,” the FSIS stated in the official notice. “These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”

A corresponding notice on the USDA website advised that “anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a health care provider.”

Foreign object contamination is one of the top reasons for food recalls in the U.S. today. Just last November, Tyson Foods recalled nearly 30,000 pounds of chicken nuggets after consumers discovered metal pieces in the dinosaur-shaped products. Beyond metal, plastic fragments, rocks, bits of insects, and other “extraneous” materials have also prompted recalls after making their way into packaged goods.