Tyson Foods Inc. is recalling more than 65 tons of chicken nuggets because of consumer complaints about finding bits of hard plastic in the products. The Sedalia, MO, company shipped 5-pound bags of the nuggets to retailers nationwide, according to a recall notice posted Tuesday by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Tyson also shipped 20-pound cases of the chicken nuggets to entities in Pennsylvania for institutional use. Because of the long shelf life of the products — the consumer packs sent to retailers have a use-by date of July 18, 2017 — officials are concerned consumers may have the recalled chicken nuggets in their homes. The recalled nuggets were produced July 18 this year. “There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider,” according to the recall notice. “Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.” The recalled, fully cooked “Panko Chicken Nuggets” carry the establishment number “EST. 13556” printed adjacent to the “Best If Used By” dates on the backs of the packages. Consumers and institutional kitchens can also use the following package information to identify the recalled products:

5-pound bags of “Tyson FULLY COOKED PANKO CHICKEN NUGGETS” with a “Best If Used By” date of July 18, 2017, and case code 2006SDL03 and 2006SDL33; and

20-pound bulk packages of “SPARE TIME Fully Cooked, Panko Chicken Nuggets, Nugget Shaped Chicken Breast Pattie Fritters With Rib Meat” with a production date of July 18, 2016, and case code 2006SDL03.

“According to Tyson Foods, the plastic material (found in the nuggets) ranged in size from 21mm in length and 6.5mm in diameter and may have come from a round, hard plastic rod used to connect a plastic transfer belt,” according to the recall notice. “The firm said the products pass through a metal detector, but the plastic is not detectable to this technology.” When available, lists of retailers that received the products will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls. Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Tyson Foods’ Consumer Relations at 866-328-3156. (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)