The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for breaded chicken produced by VU Foods of Kansas City, Mo. which was not inspected but sold to restaurants. Meat that is not inspected is considered unfit for human consumption by the USDA. Because VU Foods would not recall the products, the USDA FSIS has issued an alert. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the chicken products.
The products included in the warning bear the establishment number “P-45038” inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the label. Some labels also state that the products were distributed by Tact Foodservice or US Foods, those products were sent to distributors and labeled for “Use in Restaurant Only.”
The alert covers the following products: Select Cut – Cubed Chicken Breast Meat (product code: 10800), Select Cut – Cubed Chicken Breast Meat (product code: 10810), Cubed Chicken Breast Meat (product code: 10500), Pre-Battered Chicken Tender (product code: 80022), Boneless All Natural Chicken Breast Nuggets (product code: 8550), Chicken Dark Meat Nuggets (product code: 20505) and KIKKA Boneless All Natural Chicken Breast Nuggets, packed exclusively for KIKKA RESTAURANTS.
The problem was discovered by the state of Missouri, which was assisted by law enforcement to enter a warehouse location and observed products that were produced without the benefit of inspection. The state of Missouri notified FSIS of the facility operating without the benefit of inspection on July 15, 2014. On that same day, the state of Missouri began detaining the breaded chicken products produced at the facility and FSIS began detaining additional products on July 17, 2014. FSIS served a Notice of Suspension to VU Foods, LLC, on July 24, 2014. FSIS is continuing to detain the product in question and is conducting trace forward operations with distribution centers to request the product back from their restaurant customers,’according to the alert. The investigation is ongoing. FSIS may take further action if there are new developments.
And if they do away with USDA inspectors it will be a lot worse.