SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Following the major recall of nearly 12 million lbs. of recalled frozen chicken strips that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of metal, Tyson Foods released new steps it would take to inspect future products.

Tyson said that it is discontinuing the use of the specific equipment believed to be associated with the metal fragments and plans to install metal-detecting X-ray machinery to replace the plant’s existing metal-detection system. A third-party video auditing system for metal detection verification will also be in use.

“Safety is at the core of everything we do. We’re committed to producing safe, healthy food that our consumers and customers can rely on every day,” said Barbara Masters, DVM, vice president of regulatory food policy, food and agriculture for Tyson Foods. “It is unacceptable to Tyson Foods that any product might not meet our standards. Because of these additional consumer reports, we’ve decided to take this precautionary step to make sure that we’re meeting our own expectations and the expectation of consumers.”

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Dept. of Agriculture reported on May 4 that it received two consumer complaints of extraneous material in the chicken strip products. The agency is now aware of six complaints during this time frame involving similar pieces of metal with three alleging oral injury.

The frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strip items were produced on various dates from Oct. 1, 2018, to March 8, 2019, and have “use by dates” of Oct. 1, 2019, through March 7, 2020.

The latest recall was reissued after the first recall was announced on March 21.