According to a USDA-FSIS announcement on May 2nd, Wayne Farms, LLC is recalling approximately 15 tons of Ready-To-Eat chicken breast fillets produced at a Decatur, AL plant between March 1st and 21st.
The problem was recognized following customer complaints that the RTE product appeared undercooked. Follow-up evaluation confirmed that the implicated batches may not have reached appropriate cooking temperature.
The need to thoroughly cook chicken portions is self-evident, given the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination on raw parts. Cooking is an absolute kill step in processing. Plants functioning with mandatory HACCP programs must monitor the adequacy of the temperature and time of exposure during processing. This is not the responsibility of consumers.