Almost three tons of chicken fritters are being recalled because they were prepared with General Mills flour that has been linked to an ongoing nationwide outbreak of E. coli O121.
E. coli Outbreak Tied to Flour Causes… Chicken Recall?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) posted a Class I Recall (Health Risk: High) for 5,850 pounds of chicken tenderloin fritters and chicken breast tenderloin fritters initiated by Simmons Prepared Foods, Inc. late Tuesday evening.
The problem that led to the recall “was discovered on July 7, 2016,” when the Van Buren, Arkansas-based company received notice from one of its suppliers that the flour used in preparing the fritters had been recalled by General Mills. The large-scale recall involves flour that has been linked to a nationwide outbreak of E. coli O121.
According to the recall notice published by the company, “[the] firm used the recalled flour to bread the chicken fritters affected by this recall action.”
“FSIS and the company are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers,” and the release urges all consumers who have purchased the recalled products not to consume them and instead to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.
Recalled Chicken Fritters: the Details
The recalled fritters come frozen, were heat treated, and considered “not ready to eat” (NTRE). The following products are subject to the recall:
30-lb. net-weight case containing six, 5-lb. bags in clear film of “Simmons UNCOOKED CHICKEN TENDERLOIN FRITTERS”
- Case code 31473,
- Packaging date code of 6025,
- Use-By date of 01/25/17.
30-lb. net-weight case containing six, 5-lb. bags in clear film of “Simmons UNCOOKED CHICKEN BREAST TENDERLOIN FRITTERS”
- Case code 62331,
- Packaging date of 6025.
No use-by date was specified for the Chicken Breast Tenderloin Fritters. All products subject to the recall have the establishment number “P-5837” inside the USDA inspection mark.
