Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Culture > News

Please Stop Contaminating My Chicken Nuggets

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Susqu chapter.

If you’re a really busy college student who barely has time to finish reading for class, much less stay up to date on breaking news, I’m here for ya. And since we are stereotypically running low on both time AND money, I’m assuming chicken nuggets are a staple food in your diet. This is why, as much as it pains me, I need to tell you…

UNFORTUNATELY, two major popper producers just recalled a ton of their frozen inventory from store shelves. This is a PSA that you should steer clear from the dippers for a quick sec, or at least take a minute to make sure the bag sitting in your mini fridge is safe to consume. 

Purdue started the trend, kicking off 2019 by recalling 68,244 pounds of chicken nuggets for possibly containing wood. Then, on January 27th, the same brand announced that an additional 16,000 pounds of their chicken nuggets distributed across the Northeastern US were not fit for sale because the packaging did not list milk as a potential allergen. 

Tyson was obviously jealous of all the attention Purdue was getting (no publicity is bad publicity, right?) because they recalled their own hefty amount of inventory (36,000 pounds) just a day after Purdue’s second announcement. More likely, they had to announce the recalls after receiving reports from consumers that they had found pieces of blue rubber inside their nuggets. My theory is that factory workers must have accidentally dropped their gloves into the…chicken nugget bucket? I have no clue how wood ended up in Purdue’s production line, though.

The US Department of Agriculture has categorized both Purdue’s and Tyson’s product removal as Class I Recalls: “a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

Whether you prefer Tyson’s Premium Selects or store-brand dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets, these recalls from two of the largest chicken nugget brands prove that any company is capable of seemingly absurd contaminations. Please proceed with caution and always consume responsibly. One Love, Chicken Nugg. 

 

Emily is a Junior at Susquehanna University where she has a double major in International Studies and Publishing & Editing. She is from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Spring 2019 is Emily's 5th semester as a member of Susquehanna University's Her Campus chapter. She currently serves as Event Coordinator, having previously held the titles of President and Senior Editor.