SPRINGDALE, ARKANSAS — Tyson has recalled its chicken nuggets due to possible rubber contamination.<br /><br />More than 36,000 pounds of chicken nuggets by Tyson Foods may contain "extraneous materials, specifically rubber," according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture news release.<br /><br />The USDA is classifying the recall as a Class I Recall. This means this is a health hazard situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product could result in serious or adverse health consequences or even death.<br /><br />The news release says the contaminated chicken nugget products labelled as "Tyson White Meat Panko Chicken Nuggets" were produced in November of last year.<br /><br />Customers who purchased the nuggets had found "soft, blue rubber" inside the product, the New York Times reports.<br /><br />Customers contacted the company, which is when the Food Safety and Inspection Service stepped in, according to the USDA.<br /><br />Worth Sparkman, a spokesman for Tyson Foods, is cited by the New York Times as explaining that the rubber was part of a seal on a piece of equipment used to produce the chicken nuggets and was added into the nuggets blend.<br /><br />Tyson Foods is now recalling more than 7,200 bags of chicken nuggets across the U.S., reports the New York Times.<br /><br />The Food Safety and Inspection Service is urging those who have already purchased the product to either throw the nuggets away or return them to the store.
