The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert because frozen, dinosaur-shaped, ready-to-eat chicken nuggets sold at Walmart stores may be contaminated with unsafe levels of lead.
Guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides an interim reference level (IRL) for lead of 2.2 micrograms. The amount of lead found in these lumps can be as much as five times higher than in children IRL.
A recall has not been requested because the product is no longer available for purchase. However, FSIS is concerned that some product may still be sitting in consumers’ freezers.
Consumers can use the following label information to determine if a related product is available.
- 29 oz. Plastic bag containing medicine. 36 “Best Fully Cooked Dinosaur Shape Chicken Nuggets”, “Best Use As” date “February 10, 2027,” Lot Code “0416DPO1215”, and Establishment Number “P44164” are printed on the back of the bag.
This item was shipped to Walmart locations nationwide. FSIS continues to investigate this matter. Additional products may be added to general alerts.
The issue was discovered during routine surveillance sampling conducted by state partners.
Lead is especially dangerous for pregnant women, infants, and children because it can harm brain and nervous system development and sometimes cause lasting problems. There is no safe amount of lead exposure. Health experts also say these lumps can be dangerous for women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant. For information about the health effects of lead consumption, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
FSIS is concerned that some of the products may be in consumers’ freezers.
Consumers who have purchased the product in question are advised not to consume the product. These products must be discarded or returned to the place of purchase.
About lead contamination
Lead is a toxic substance that exists in small amounts in our environment, and everyone is exposed to some degree of lead through everyday activities such as inhaling dust, eating food, and drinking water.
Exposure to larger amounts of lead can lead to lead poisoning. Lead can affect almost every body system, but the effects depend on the amount and duration of lead exposure and the age of the person exposed.
Symptoms may include abdominal pain, vomiting, lethargy, irritability, weakness, behavioral or mood changes, delirium, seizures, and coma. However, infants, children, and developing fetuses can be affected by chronic exposure to lead in amounts that may not cause overt symptoms of lead poisoning.
Children with lead poisoning may not look or act sick. Lead poisoning in children can cause learning disabilities, developmental delays, and low IQ scores.
