Tyson Foods Inc. has recalled approximately 11.8 million pounds of frozen chicken strips because the products may be contaminated with metal, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Saturday.

The government agency said this is an expansion of a March 21 recall when 69,093 pounds of strips were identified.

The affected products were produced between Oct. 1, 2018, and March 8, 2019, and have "Use By Dates" of Oct. 1, 2019, through March 7, 2020, the notice says. They have the establishment number "P-7221" printed on the back of the product package.

The problem was discovered after the agency received two consumer complaints of "extraneous material" in the chicken strip products, according to the release. The USDA names "pieces of metal" as the possible contaminant.

The agency is "now aware of six complaints during this time frame involving similar pieces of metal with three alleging oral injury."

Barbara Masters, Tyson Foods vice president of regulatory food policy, food and agriculture, said in a statement posted on the company's website, that because of the additional reports officials decided to "take this precautionary step to make sure that we’re meeting our own expectations and the expectation of consumers.”

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“Safety is at the core of everything we do. We’re committed to producing safe, healthy food that our consumers and customers can rely on every day,” Masters said. “It is unacceptable to Tyson Foods that any product might not meet our standards."

Along with chicken products under the Tyson name, the recall also affects select Publix, Kirkwood, Giant Eagle, Hannaford, Food Lion, Best Choice, Great Value, Meijer and Spare Time products. The products were shipped to retailers nationwide.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service classified the announcement as a "Class I" recall. Such recalls are considered a high health risk – a "situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death."

The agency says it is concerned that some product may be in consumers' freezers.

"Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them," the recall notice states. "These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase."

Masters also said the company was "taking corrective action at the location that makes these products.”

"We have discontinued use of the specific equipment believed to be associated with the metal fragments, and we will be installing metal-detecting X-ray machinery to replace the plant’s existing metal-detection system,” Masters said.

More information about how to identify recalled products is included in a visual guide published by the USDA and a chart with a list of items.

For questions about the recall, consumers should call Tyson Foods Consumer Relations at 1-866-886-8456.

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May 4 recalled items

The recalled items were produced have "Use By Dates" of Oct. 1, 2019 through March 7, 2020 and have the establishment number "P-7221" printed on the back of the product package.

Tyson fully cooked crispy chicken strips, 40-ounce frozen plastic bag

Tyson fully cooked buffalo style chicken strips, 40-ounce frozen plastic bag

Tyson fully cooked honey BBQ flavored chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Best Choice Buffalo Style Chicken Strips, 20-ounce frozen plastic bag

Great Value Fully Cooked Chicken Strips Crispy, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Food Lion crispy chicken strips fully cooked, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Tyson fully cooked crispy chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Tyson fully cooked buffalo style chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Food Lion buffalo-style chicken strips fully cooked, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Meijer crispy chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Meijer chicken strips, honey BBQ flavored, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Meijer chicken strips buffalo style, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Giant premium chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Giant Eagle crispy fully cooked chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Publix fully cooked crispy chicken strip fritters, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Kirkwood Honey BBQ flavored chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Kirkwood buffalo style chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Hannaford buffalo-style chicken strips fully cooked, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Hannaford crispy chicken strips fully cooked, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Select Spare Time fully cooked strips in a variety of flavors in 20-pound frozen cases

Tyson fully cooked buffalo style chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Tyson fully cooked crispy chicken strips, 25-ounce frozen plastic bag

Spare Time fully cooked, buffalo style chicken strips, 20-pound frozen case

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Contributing: Joel Shannon

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko