Tyson recalls almost 9 million pounds of chicken after 1 death, 3 hospitalizations

The Food Safety Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced yesterday that Tyson Foods Inc. has added almost 500,000 pounds of frozen chicken to its existing recall. On July 3, the USDA said Tyson Foods was recalling approximately 8,492,832 pounds of its ready-to-eat chicken products due to a possible listeria contamination. That number has now grown to 8,955,296 pounds.

The frozen, fully cooked products were produced between Dec. 26, 2020, and April 13, 2021, and were shipped nationwide to stores, hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants, schools and more. The USDA noted that “while the product was distributed to schools, it resulted from a commercial sale and was not part of food provided by the USDA for the National School Lunch Program.”

Recalled items have the establishment number “EST. P-7089” on the product bag or inside the USDA inspection mark.

The full list of the products subject to recall includes but is not limited to:

• Tyson Pulled Chicken Breast – Fully Cooked, Boneless Skinless with Rib Meat, Seasoned, Smoke Flavor Added

• Tyson Fully Cooked, Boneless, Skinless – Pulled Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat

• Jet’s Pizza – Fully Cooked, Fajita Seasoned, Boneless, Skinless – Diced Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat

• Tyson Fully Cooked Diced Grilled Chicken Breast with Rib Meat

FSIS also provided a list of labels of affected products to make them easier to identify.

Listeria can cause a serious infection, called listeriosis, especially in older adults, pregnant women and their newborns, and others with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and gastrointestinal symptoms. In pregnant women, the infection can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or life-threatening infection in the newborn.

Each year, approximately 1,600 people get listeriosis and about 260 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During its investigation, FSIS identified three listeriosis hospitalizations and one death linked back to Tyson Foods Inc. between April 6, 2021 and June 5, 2021. Two states, Texas and Delaware, have reported illnesses due to this outbreak. FSIS is still searching for additional illnesses.

Consumers who have the products subject to the recall are urged to throw them out or return them to the place of purchase. You should also take care to clean any surfaces that may have come in contact with the contaminated food, including refrigerators and containers. Contact Tyson Foods Inc. at (855) 382-3101 for further questions.