Ready-To-Eat Grilled Chicken Breast Recalled In California: USDA

SAN DIEGO, CA — A San Diego-based company has recalled more than 1,000 pounds of its ready-to-eat chicken breast because of undercooking, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Thursday.

Tarantino Wholesale Foods Distributor undercooked 1,115 pounds of "Mary's Fully Cooked Chicken Breast," which resulted in the potential survival of bacterial pathogens in the products, federal authorities said.

The ready-to-eat grilled chicken breast items were produced Oct. 23 and were distributed in 10-pound cases. The labels on the affected cases have the establishment number "P-8119" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The cases are labeled "Mary's Fully Cooked Chicken Breast" with lot code 20297 and "use by" date of Oct. 23, 2021.

This recall by the USDA is a "Class I," meaning it poses a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.

"Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them," said Mitch Adams, a spokesperson for the USDA.

"These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase," Adams said in a news release issued Thanksgiving Day.

According to the USDA, the recalled items were shipped to institution locations in California. The items were also sold directly to retail consumers. A list of retailers who received the product was not yet available Thursday.

The problem was discovered when the firm received a customer complaint that the ready-to-eat chicken product appeared to be undercooked, the USDA said.

As of Thursday, there were no confirmed reports of adverse reactions linked to consumption of the undercooked chicken breast, authorities said.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact Marcos Tarantino, Quality Assurance Supervisor, at marcos.tarantino@tarantinosausage.com.

Consumers with food safety questions can also call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov.

For consumers who need to report a problem with a meat, poultry or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at Foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.