Chicken Recall as Urgent Warning Issued Over Plastic Found Inside Products

A leading poultry producer in Arkansas has issued a recall of around 26,550 pounds of TGI Fridays-branded boneless chicken bites over concerns they “may be contaminated with extraneous material,” the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has said.

In an alert issued on Friday, the federal agency announced that Simmons Prepared Foods—based in Siloam Springs and which provides chicken for retailers and restaurants—was recalling packs of the honey BBQ boneless bites following reports that “pieces of clear, hard plastic” had been found in the product. The company feared some contaminated boxes had already been bought by customers.

“The problem was discovered when the firm notified FSIS that it had received consumer complaints reporting that clear, hard plastic was found under the breading of the boneless chicken bites,” the FSIS alert read.

In a statement, Simmons said it considered food safety “a very serious matter” and that the recall was “precautionary and voluntary.”

It added that “fragments of plastic safety glasses” were found in packs produced during a single shift on October 3 at its plant in Van Buren, Arkansas, by two individual customers, who complained to Kraft Heinz, which produces and markets the final product. Simmons said it was “working closely” with Kraft Heinz and the regulator to expedite the recall.

Newsweek approached Kraft Heinz via email for comment on Monday.

FSIS said the affected products had been shipped to retail locations nationwide and had a best before date of December 26, 2024. The products being recalled bear the establishment number P-20287 inside the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s mark of inspection.

While there have been no confirmed reports of injury or illness from consuming the affected products, the agency said it was “concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers” and urged anyone who had purchased the products under the recall to throw them away or return them to where they were bought.

“At Simmons, we take pride in making food for the families and pets we love,” the company, which describes itself as ranked among the top 20 poultry producers in the U.S., said. “We value the trust placed in us to deliver quality products that are safe.

“We are carefully reviewing this matter and have taken action to ensure we meet our commitment to provide the safe, high quality products expected from Simmons.”

The chicken bites recall is just the latest to be prompted by contamination by a foreign material. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration announced that nearly 2,000 cases of soda cans produced by Coca-Cola were being recalled from three states over the issue, while earlier in the week a Tennessee firm recalled packs of chewing tobacco from 18 states over concerns about potential metal shavings in the product.

In April, an Illinois meat vendor recalled over 2,000 pounds of beef patties after receiving “multiple” complaints of white plastic turning up in the product. It came a month after a Minnesota-based catering firm was forced to recall frozen beef pastries from schools in the state following concerns that they contained wire-like metal.