Recent recalls due to misbranding and undeclared allergens

In the past few weeks, the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall of chicken products due to various labeling issues. An Arkansas firm failed to mention the presence of wheat in chicken tenders, a Missouri firm’s chicken salad did not properly declare a soy protein concentrate and chicken noodle soup was incorrectly labeled as chicken and rice soup by a Pennsylvania firm.

George’s Incorporated, the Arkansas firm, recalled roughly 1.25 million pounds of frozen, pan-fried chicken tenders on January 27, 2014. The chicken products were taken off the market because wheat was not declared on the product labels due to printer error. The mislabeling was discovered by the company during a regular assessment, and the printing issues have been corrected. The recall carries a Class II categorization, indicating that there is a “remote possibility of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.”

Walker’s Food Products Company, the Missouri firm, recalled approximately 2,500 pounds of chicken salad products on January 30, 2014. “Walker’s All White Chunky Chicken Salad” and “Walker’s White Chicken Salad Florentine” contained a soy protein concentrate which was not identified on the label. The misbranding, which was discovered by a routine inspection conducted by FSIS, was attributed to a change in product suppliers. The FSIS deemed this a Class I recall because “there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

Finally, ConAgra Foods, the Pennsylvania firm, recalled almost 55,000 pounds of chicken noodle soup products on February 4, 2014. The chicken noodle soup product, containing wheat and egg, was inaccurately labeled with declarations pertaining to a chicken and rice soup. The labeling mix-up was discovered by consumers. This recall also merited a Class I classification.

As of this writing, no adverse reactions have been reported. FSIS is currently conducting recall effectiveness checks to ensure that consumers are notified and to confirm that the products are no longer available for purchase.