Tyson Foods has recalled 33,840 pounds of chicken that may be contaminated with Salmonella, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture statement released Friday.
The department states some mechanically-separated chicken produced on Oct. 11, 2013, may be contaminated with a Salmonella Heidelberg strain. Specifically, Tyson is recalling 40-pound cases, containing four 10-pound chubs, of “Tyson Mechanically Separated Chicken.”
The chicken was shipped nationwide. However, federal safety authorities determined there is a link between the mechanically separated chicken products from Tyson Foods and an illness cluster in a Tennessee correctional facility.
The products were shipped for institutional use only and are not available for consumer purchase in retail stores, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Federal safety authorities began investigating the link between a Salmonella outbreak and the Tyson chicken in December after seven patients with a connection to the chicken were identified with the illness. Two of the patients had to be hospitalized, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Eating food with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, which has symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, according to safety officials.
