Although they should never reach the market to begin with, defective products that cause injuries or deaths are frequently recalled when their dangers are brought to the attention of manufacturers and consumer watchdog agencies.
Pennsylvania consumers may have become aware of the recent recall of one defective product, chicken nuggets, following reports of consumers suffering minor oral injuries around the country.
More than 75,000 pounds of the frozen chicken nugget products manufactured by Tyson Foods Inc. were recalled in early April because they may have been contaminated with foreign objects. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the nuggets were in five-pound bags and 20-pound bulk packs labeled with the number P-13556.
The company stated that they became aware of the possible contamination after they received customer complaints of small pieces of plastic inside the products. An investigation found that a product scraper in a blending machine was the source of the problem.
Tyson further explained that the total number of defective products was limited. The nuggets were produced over just two days on one production line in just one of the company’s 40 chicken-processing facilities.
All of the five-pound and 20-pound packages were sold through Sam’s Clubs stores, further limiting the product’s distribution and making it easier for the company to facilitate the product recall.
Pennsylvanians who have suffered injuries due to defective products can be compensated for their injuries. Medical expenses related to injuries from the product may be recovered if a lawsuit against manufacturers of defective products is successful.
Source: WWLP, “Tyson recalling chicken nugget products,” April 5, 2014