Nearly 600,000 chicken patties sold at Costco are being recalled because they may contain sharp plastic parts that “could cause injury.”
- Foster Farms is recalling frozen chicken burgers because some contain plastic
- Affected are the 80-ounce pouches, each containing about 20 burgers
- The Food Sagety and Inspection Service (FSIS) told customers to throw them out
Hundreds of thousands of frozen chicken patties sold at Costco are being recalled over fears they may contain pieces of plastic.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) warned customers that the plastic shards “could be sharp and potentially cause injury”.
More than 150,000 pounds (lbs) of Foster Farms burgers – which sell in packs of 20 for $18 – are believed to be affected.
The FSIS is asking Americans to either throw them out or return them to the store where they were bought for a refund.
So far no injuries have been reported. However, the agency warned that if ingested, plastic splinters could cause lacerations on the mouth, throat and digestive system.
The problem only came to light when customers complained to the manufacturer after finding plastic “embedded” in their chicken burgers.
Thousands of frozen chicken patties sold by Costco are being recalled over fears they may be contaminated with “hard and sharp” plastic. The product, Foster Farms 80 Ounce Breaded Frozen Chicken Patties, is pictured above. It has already been pulled from the Costco website
They were distributed in five states in August: Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah and Washington. However, agency staff admitted others may have been affected
The alert is a Class I recall, meaning there is a “high risk” of consuming the food causing health problems or death.
The burgers are described as “breaded chicken breast patties with ribs” and the best before date is August 11 next year.
What is recalled?
The FSIS is recalling frozen breaded chicken patties sold in 80-ounce bags containing 20 burgers.
The product sells at Costco for around $18.
The agency said consumers could find out if they had the product in their freezer by checking the use-by date.
The affected products will expire on August 11, 2023.
About 30,000 bags with almost 600,000 chicken pies are affected.
They were distributed in five states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah and Washington.
But Foster Farms has admitted products contaminated with the pieces may have been sold in other states.
Costco has already removed the product from its website.
It wasn’t clear how the plastic splinters got into the burgers, but it used to be due to parts breaking off machines during the manufacturing process.
The FSIS did not say how many customers had complained about the plastic parts.
Health risks from accidentally biting plastic splinters include lacerations in the mouth and, if swallowed, in the throat or gastrointestinal tract. It could also damage teeth.
Medical professionals have previously warned that consuming metal splinters can cause puncture of the intestines if they enter the digestive tract.
This causes intestinal contents to leak out into the body, which can cause someone to experience severe abdominal pain.
Foster Foods is based in Farmerville, Louisiana.