Perdue is recalling chicken nuggets after metal wire was found in them

According to Perdue and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the recall covers a series of three products: Perdue Breaded Chicken Tenders, Butcher Box Organic Chicken Breast Nuggets and Perdue Simply Smart Organics Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets.

FSIS and Perdue determined that approximately 167,171 pounds (75,827 kilograms) of these products may be contaminated with a foreign material after receiving an unspecified number of customer complaints. In an announcement Friday, Maryland-based Perdue said the material was “identified in a limited number of consumer packages.”

The company later “determined that the material was a very thin metal wire that was mistakenly introduced in the manufacturing process,” Jeff Shaw, Perdue’s senior vice president of food safety and quality, said in a prepared statement. Shaw added that Perdue decided to recall all affected packages “out of an abundance of caution.”

To date, there are no confirmed injuries or adverse reactions related to consumption of these products, according to FSIS and Perdue. However, FSIS is concerned that the products may be in consumers’ freezers.

The now-recalled tenders and nuggets can be identified by the product codes listed in both Perdue’s and FSIS’ online announcements. All three affected products have a best if used by March 23, 2025 and unit number “P-33944” on the back of the package. They were sold at retailers across the country.

Consumers who have the recalled chicken are urged to throw it away or return the product to the place of purchase. Perdue is offering full refunds to affected consumers, who can call the company at 866-866-3703.

Foreign object contamination is one of the leading reasons for food recalls in the US today. Just last November, Tyson Foods recalled nearly 30,000 pounds (13,600 kilograms) of chicken nuggets after consumers also found pieces of metal in the dinosaur-shaped products. Beyond metal, plastic fragments, rocks, bits of insects and more “foreign” materials have caused recalls, making their way into packaged goods.