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OK Foods recalls 1 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken

OK Foods, an Oklahoma City company, is recalling almost a million pounds of ready-to-eat breaded chicken after small pieces of metal were found in some of their chicken products.

OK Foods is recalling 933,272 pounds of chicken produced between December 19 and March 7. The recall comes after five customers complained about small pieces of metal found in some chicken products, which are intended for kid’s lunches.

Image credit: ABC News

Breaded chicken contained little bits of metal

The United States Department of Agriculture and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) started an investigation after OK Foods received five complaints, which also began an internal investigation.

“The problem was discovered on March 21, 2017, after OK Foods Inc. received five consumer complaints stating that metal objects were found in the ready-to-eat chicken products and by FSIS inspection personnel during verification activities,” said the USDA in a statement from March 23 published on their website. “After an internal investigation, the firm identified the affected product and determined that the objects in all the complaints came from metal conveyor belting.”

The recalled chicken products include shaped nuggets with rib meat, breaded fully cooked chicken patties, fully cooked herb seasoned breaded chicken and fully cooked breaded chicken fries. There are twenty recalled products in total, and the USDA urges consumers that bought the products not to consume any of it but to dispose of or return them to the place of purchase.

The USDA hasn’t confirmed any reports of adverse reactions caused by OK Foods chicken products consumption. They recommend consumers to contact their health provider if they’re concerned about any dangerous effect. The US Department of Agriculture classified the issue as a “Class I” measure, the highest form of recalls.

“This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death,” describes the USDA Class I recalls.

OK Foods delivers on pledge to River Valley Regional Food Bank. Image credit: OK Foods

New York City’s recalls

OK Foods’ chicken was also banned from city school kitchens in New York City after one of the students found a metal bit in the meal. 

The incident occurred on March 9, and the school notified the SchoolFoods Service Department. SchoolFoods, which serves around 850K meals every school day told the New York State Department of Education Child Nutrition Office about the situation. 

Last November other schools had to remove OK Foods products supplied by Somma Foods, following an incident where a student found blue plastic and bones in some chicken tenders. Another case registered involved a SchoolFoods staffer who almost choked to death on a bone discovered in a chicken tender

This week, Somma Foods hired Vickie Seltenreich, a director of food safety and quality assurance. OK Foods had started the recall before the USDA commanded it

The USDA also said that FSIS routinely checks that firms notify their customers about the recall. When the retail distribution verified list is ready, it is going to be published on the FSIS website.

Source: City Limits

Categories: Health
Adriana Bello:
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