Perdue Farms Sets The Example For Responsible Food-Safety Practices
By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online
Perdue Foods, parented by Perdue Farms, is again in the news… for doing the right thing
Not long ago Perdue Farms made the announcement that it will no longer be utilizing human-grade antibiotics as a growth enhancer on its chicken farms. This has long been a hot topic among food safety advocates and a concern for consumers. Recently though, the American Medical Association (AMA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have weighed in, warning of the dangers of prophylactic antibiotic use in livestock. Perdue voluntarily, and responsibly, made the decision to discontinue human-grade antibiotic use.
Again, in a move not highly publicized, but one to be lauded, Perdue Farms issued a voluntary Class II recall — one considered to be a low health risk — for approximately 720 pounds of fresh, raw chicken products on Sept 6. This recall may seem small in comparison to the numbers of pounds of chicken, recalled, or not, by other firms. However, it is huge when you consider it was due to a small temperature variance discovered during processing. The relatively small amount of recalled product is because the processing error was found quickly, before the majority of the product had left the warehouse.
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A plant employee responsible for checking whole bird temperatures noticed variations. Further investigation revealed an employee had accidently opened an improper water valve, resulting in potable water, rather than chilled water, being used during processing. The company immediately notified the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and then set about destroying the affected product in the warehouse and alerting those in receipt of the product that had already been shipped.
Produced on Sept 3, nine cases of the whole, young chickens were shipped to a NY distributor for redistribution in CT, NJ, NY, and PA. Each 80-lb cardboard box contains approximately 28, 2.5 pound iced, sealed-packs of “COOKIN’ GOOD WHOLE YOUNG CHICKENS” with giblets and necks. The establishment number, “P-764” is clearly marked on the carton.
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No reports of illness have been received by the FSIS or Perdue, though the company cautions anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider. Consumers with questions are urged to contact Perdue Consumer Affairs at 800-4Perdue (800-473-7383).