Check Your Freezer: Popular Chicken Nuggets Flagged for Unsafe Lead Levels

Check your freezer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for frozen, dinosaur-shaped, ready-to-eat chicken nuggets that may be contaminated with unsafe levels of lead.

The products are no longer available for purchase, but the FSIS is concerned that the nuggets may still be stored in some consumers’ freezers.

Here's the affected product information to look for:

• 29-ounce plastic bags containing approximately 36 “GREAT VALUE FULLY COOKED DINO SHAPED CHICKEN BREAST NUGGETS” with “BEST IF USED BY” date “FEB 10 2027," lot code 0416DPO1215, and establishment number P44164 printed on the back of the bag.

The chicken nuggets were shipped to Walmart locations nationwide and were produced on February 10. The lead problem was discovered during routine sampling that was conducted by a state partner.

If you purchased these products, the FSIS is urging you not to consume them. Either throw them out or return them to the place of purchase.

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Lead is especially dangerous for pregnant women, infants, and young children because it can harm developing brains and nervous systems, sometimes causing lasting problems, the FSIS warns. There is no safe amount of lead exposure, and it can often be difficult to see in children, as most have no obvious immediate symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines provide an interim reference level for lead from food of 2.2 micrograms a day for children. The amount of lead found in these nuggets could be as much as five times higher than that, the FSIS reports.

If you believe you or your children have been exposed to lead, contact your healthcare provider. They can test for lead in the blood.

For questions about the alert, contact John Patrick Lopez, vice president of strategy, communications, and government affairs at Dorada Foods, at [email protected].