Hormel Foods Corporation has issued a nationwide recall of nearly 5 million pounds of frozen ready-to-eat chicken after multiple customers discovered pieces of metal in the product, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced over the weekend.
The recall, one of the largest in recent years for the Austin, Minnesota-based company, affects about 4,874,815 pounds of chicken products distributed to hotels, restaurants, and other commercial foodservice establishments between February 10 and September 19, 2025. Hormel said the contamination likely originated from a production conveyor belt that shed metal fragments during processing.
"The issue was discovered after Hormel received multiple complaints from foodservice customers who reported finding metal in frozen chicken breast and thigh products," FSIS said. The fragments measured approximately 2 millimeters by 17 millimeters, according to officials.
"Hormel Foods Sales, LLC is voluntarily recalling 215,258 cases, or 4,874,815 total pounds, of five HORMEL® FIRE BRAISEDTM items sent to foodservice operators throughout the United States as they may contain extraneous metal material," the company said in a statement to FOX Business.
The affected products, sold under the HORMEL® FIRE BRAISEDTM label, include several bulk cases of boneless chicken thigh and breast meat with the following item codes printed on the packaging:
- 65009: 13.9-lb cases of Fire Braised All Natural Boneless Chicken Thigh Meat
- 77531: 13.8-lb cases of 3-oz Fire Braised All Natural Boneless Chicken Breast
- 46750: 13.8-lb cases of 4-oz Fire Braised All Natural Boneless Chicken Breast
- 86206: 23.8-lb cases of 5-oz Fire Braised All Natural Boneless Chicken Breast
- 134394: 13.95-lb cases of Boneless Chicken Breast with Rib Meat
FSIS said the products were shipped nationwide to HRI (Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional) foodservice customers, not retail consumers. "This product is only sold to foodservice customers and cannot be purchased directly by consumers," Hormel emphasized. The agency warned that some recalled items might still be stored in freezers at commercial kitchens.
"These businesses are urged not to serve the product," FSIS said in its notice. "This product should be thrown away."
No injuries or illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall, and both Hormel and federal regulators stressed that no other HORMEL® products are affected. FSIS inspectors are conducting follow-up verifications to ensure the affected chicken is removed from circulation.
Customers with questions can contact Hormel Foods Customer Relations through its website or by calling 1-800-523-4635. Those wishing to report safety issues involving meat, poultry, or egg products can use the USDA's Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System.
