Tyson Foods is voluntarily recalling approximately 8.5 million pounds of frozen, fully cooked chicken in the United Sates. The Springdale, Arkansas-headquartered company has been working closely with the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on the recall, and while there is no conclusive evidence that the products were contaminated at the time of shipment, this action is being initiated out of an abundance of caution.
The affected products were produced at a single plant in Dexter, Missouri, between December 26 of 2020 and April 13, 2021 and distributed to foodservice and retail customers nationwide and in Puerto Rico. They are being recalled as a precaution due to possible exposure to Listeria monocytogenes, a harmful bacteria.
“We’re committed to providing safe, healthy food that people rely on every day,” said Scott Brooks, the company’s senior vice president in charge of food safety and quality assurance,” who added the precautionary step is being taken in keeping with Tyson’s commitment to safety.
The recall includes Tyson branded frozen, fully cooked products as well as private label items distributed nationwide to retail stores, foodservice and institutional outlets including hospitals, nursing facilities, restaurants, schools and Department of Defense locations. Each package of the affected retail products has the establishment code P-7089.
A list of product labels for the impacted retail products are available for download and comprehensive list of all retail and foodservice products can be found here. Only those products listed are being recalled. No other Tyson products are impacted by the recall, including but not limited to any Tyson brand fresh chicken; frozen, raw chicken products or chicken nuggets.
On June 9, 2021, FSIS was notified of two persons ill with listeriosis. Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health partners, it determined there is evidence linking the Listeria monocytogenes illnesses to precooked chicken produced at the processing plant in Missouri.
The epidemiologic investigation identified three listeriosis illnesses, including one death, between April 6 and June 5, 2021. During routine sample collection, FSIS collected two precooked chicken samples from two establishments that are closely related genetically to Listeria monocytogenes from ill people.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumer and institutional freezers. Consumers should not eat these products, and institutions should not serve them. The products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase for a refund.
Consumers with questions should call or text Tyson’s customer service department at: 1-855-382-3101, Sunday through Friday 8 AM – 5 PM CDT.
