US poultry recalls cause Tyson Foods to slow chicken processing, raising costs
Tyson Foods Inc slowed chicken production after recalling millions of pounds of poultry in 2019 due to concerns of foreign object contamination.
5 September 2019
2 minute read
By: According to reporting from Reuters, The 2019 recall was instituted due to concerns that the poultry contained extraneous materials like rubber and metal. The slow down in processing led to higher costs that contributed to a $220 million cut to Tyson’s projected earnings for 2019. According to Chief Executive Noel White, almost half of the cut was linked to Tyson’s poultry business.
Consumer advocates say that increased automation in the poultry processing sector has contributed to more machine parts breaking off and contaminating food. They are also concerned that there will be fewer US government inspectors in slaughterhouses.
Tyson recalled nearly 12 million pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strips in May and 40,000 pounds of chicken patties in August.
The company wanted to ensure its products were safe and implemented “corrective measures” to get its chicken plants back at full production, White said.
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