010238 Tyson Recalls 1150 Tons of Cooked ChickenFebruary 21, 2001Washington - Tyson Foods Inc. said on Monday it was recalling 1,150 tons of cooked chicken tenderloins and breast strips because the products may have been underprocessed and could cause food-borne illnesses. The recall affects a wide range of cooked chicken products that were sold to retail stores, restaurants, military commissaries and food service vendors in the United States and the Gulf, the Caribbean and Indonesia, the US Agriculture Department said. Tyson said the problem was identified by internal company inspectors after consumer complaints, but it had not received any reports of illnesses caused by the underprocessed products, which were sold under the Tyson brand and selected customers' private labels. All products were manufactured between Dec. 19, 2000 and Feb. 16, 2001 at Tyson's Chick'n Quick plant in Rogers, Arkansas, which is identified by the number “P7221” on the packaging. “While only a small percentage of the total production appears to be underprocessed, we want to be sure that we are in full regulatory compliance and that all our product meets the high quality expectations of our customers,” said John Lea, Tyson Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Consumers were urged to return the products to the point of purchase and call 1-800-233-6332 for further questions. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service also urged consumers who ordered chicken to ask restaurants or food service vendors if their meal contained the recalled products. Undercooked chicken can contain dangerous bacteria such as salmonella, which can cause nausea and diarrhea. The Tyson products were sold overseas to vendors in Bahrain, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Indonesia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia and St. Martin. Last week, Gold Kist, Inc., one of the biggest poultry processors in the United States, voluntarily recalled about 210 tons of chicken products because of possible pesticide contamination.
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com |
