Processed Breaded Chicken Products Produced Without Inspection

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert on July 25, 2014, for processed breaded chicken products produced by VU Foods, LLC, a Kansas City, Missouri, establishment. The products were produced without the benefit of inspection, leading FSIS to conclude they are unfit for human consumption. VU Foods, LLC, refused to issue a voluntary recall, prompting the agency to take enforcement action.

The affected products bear the establishment number “P-45038” inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the label. Some labels indicate distribution by Tact Foodservice or US Foods. These items were labeled for “Use in Restaurant Only” and were shipped to distribution centers, making them less likely to be identifiable to general consumers. Specific products include Select Cut Cubed Chicken Breast Meat, Cubed Chicken Breast Meat, Pre-Battered Chicken Tender, Boneless All Natural Chicken Breast Nuggets, Chicken Dark Meat Nuggets, and KIKKA Boneless All Natural Chicken Breast Nuggets.

The issue was discovered by the state of Missouri, which assisted law enforcement in entering a warehouse and observing products produced without inspection. Missouri notified FSIS on July 15, 2014, and began detaining products that day. FSIS began detaining additional products on July 17, 2014, and served a Notice of Suspension to VU Foods, LLC, on July 24, 2014. FSIS is continuing to detain the product and conducting trace forward operations to request the product back from restaurant customers. FSIS has received no reports of illness due to consumption of these products.

The recalled product

Product

FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Processed Breaded Chicken Products Produced Without the Benefit of Inspection

Category

Food — Processed Poultry

Hazard

• lack-of-inspection
• unfit-for-consumption

Distribution

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