Perdue Recalls Frozen Chicken Nuggets And Tenders — Here's What To Know

If you or your family are fans of chicken tenders and nuggets, you may want to know about a new recall from Perdue. In a statement released on its website on August 16, Perdue Foods LLC announced a voluntary recall of more than 167,000 pounds of breaded and frozen chicken tenders and chicken nuggets. Strands of thin metal wire were found inside some pieces of meat. Because frozen foods are often products that shoppers stock up on, even once the offending items have been removed from store shelves, some affected merchandise may still be in someone's freezer.

There are three different items to look out for: 22-ounce bags of Perdue Simply Smart Organic Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets (UPC Bar Code: 0-72745-80656-8), 29-ounce bags of Perdue Breaded Chicken Breast Tenders (UPC Bar Code: 0-72745-80431-1), and 22-ounce bags of Butcher Box Organic Free Fully Frozen-Cooked Breast Chicken Nuggets (UPC Bar Code: 0-72745-80648-3). All the products are in plastic, vacuum-sealed bags. They can also be specifically identified by the Best If Used By date of 03/23/25 and the establishment number "P-33944," both of which can be found printed on the back of the package.

It may seem weird for a piece of metal to end up in a chicken nugget, but this sort of thing actually happens with some regularity. In January 2023, Johnsonville sausages were recalled over plastic contaminants, while Nestle recalled cookie dough in August 2023 on account of possible wood fragments, and the March 2024 Trader Joe's soup dumpling recall was due to permanent marker pieces.

Producing packaged foods at a large scale requires so many moving parts and steps of production, these sorts of accidents are bound to happen from time to time. The unwanted bits can come from factory equipment, hand tools, and packaging materials, to name a few potential sources. Sometimes contaminants such as jewelry or clothing fibers can accidentally be introduced by employees themselves. 

In the case of metal contamination, it can originate from sieves, strainers, mesh, baking trays, and more. At the time of writing, neither Perdue nor the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the source of the wire contaminant beyond saying that the foreign objects were introduced during manufacturing.

If you do discover chicken tenders or nuggets from one of the affected batches, do not eat them. Instead, return the packages to the place you purchased them or reach out to Perdue Foods directly at 866-866-3703 for a refund.