USDA-FSIS issued a public notification of the recall by the Chilean Ministry of Health this week but added that after an analysis of the Chilean test results the risk was “negligible”.
After official notification from the government of Chile of the positive result for dioxin, FSIS instructed importers to hold product, which was presented for re-inspection.
The agency said that 188,522lbs of chicken may be affected and 126,082lbs is currently being held and it is investigating the distribution of the remaining 62,440lbs and checking if additional shipments are involved.
FSIS is verifying that those companies who received implicated product from the Chile-initiated recall have been notified and that the chicken is held and destroyed.
The recall affects all products produced at the San Vicente establishment from 29 May to 12 June.
Dioxins are a group of inorganic compounds that form naturally during forest fires, from industrial emissions and burning trash. They are incorporated into plants and are potentially eaten by animals where they become concentrated in animal fat.