Hormel recalls 4.9M pounds of frozen chicken over metal fragments

Hormel Foods announced on Saturday that it is voluntarily recalling nearly 4.9 million pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat boneless chicken products after customers reported finding metal fragments in chicken breast and thigh items. The products, sold under the Hormel Fire Braised brand and distributed to food service providers nationwide, were shipped between Feb. 10 and Sept. 19, company and federal food safety officials said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said the recall covers 215,258 cases, totaling 4,874,815 pounds, of chicken products labeled with establishment number P223. Hormel traced the contamination to a damaged conveyor belt used during production, and federal officials said the company notified customers who received the affected items. Hormel said no other company products are involved and that there have been no confirmed reports of illnesses or injuries linked to the recall.

Federal regulators and the company warned that because the products were distributed to restaurants, cafeterias, hotels and other institutions, some of the recalled chicken may still be in commercial freezers. Such establishments have been urged not to...