Perdue Chicken

Yikes! This is terrible news. Perhaps this is one for the Take Action board. Maybe a lot of persuasive emails could give them some motivation to change to a safe (or at least safer) supplier of bread products.

I just fired off the following email to Perdue.

Hello.

How dismayed I was to discover the following post at peanutallergy.com.

"I spoke with a representative from Perdue Chicken regarding their chicken nuggets. Apparently the chicken is safe BUT the breaded coating comes from some other company and may be cross contaminated by some other products made on the same line.
So, Perdue recommends that folks with peanut/nut allergy avoid any of their breaded products.

However, all their products that are NOT breaded are peanut/nut free. They particularly recommended their "Short Cuts". I have not tried them yet though."

My family recently switched from Banquet Chicken Nuggets made by ConAgra Corp. to Perdue Chicken Nuggets. We felt they were a much safer choice for our peanut-allergic child--I even called to double check specifically for peanut products and was given the go-ahead by a company rep. We found the Perdue nuggets to be of superior quality and taste and were quite pleased with the switch. I was, however, extremely dismayed by the above information about the breading.

Therefore, I urge you to consider switching to a different supplier of breading for your products. May I suggest Maier's--they produce top-quality bread products and use no nuts in the production of their products at the present time.

Peanut-allergic consumers and their families are an extremely brand-loyal group. We rely on reputable manufacturers with a proven record of providing safe products for our growing community. Please consider switching to a reputable, allergy-aware company as a supplier for your breading products. We have supported Perdue in the past. Please help support us in being a responsible advocate for protecting peanut- and tree nut-allergic consumers now, and in the future.

Sincerely,

X. Xxxxxxx

ARRRGH! Say it isn't so! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/eek.gif[/img]

I've been giving my PA son Purdue chicken nuggets once a week or so for a few years. He's never reacted to them, but if there's any peanut content at all, I don't want to use them any more.

I'd make him homemade nuggets, but he really doesn't like mine as much as he likes Purdue's.

Was it that they just didn't know the content of the breading, or do they actually have some reason to believe the breading contains traces of peanuts?

Debbie

My understanding was that there was potential for cross contamination from other products. The breading itself that is used for the nuggets does not contain peanut or nut products. The representative I spoke to was very helpful and easy to talk to.

Here is the email Perdue sent back to me today.

Dear M. Xxxxxxx:

Thank you for your recent e-mail. We appreciate your interest in Perdue Farms and our products.

The information contained on the website you quoted was incorrect. We can affirm that no peanuts are used in our products or in the production
facilities where these products are produced.

If you have other questions, please feel free to contact one of our consumer representatives at 1-800-4PERDUE (1-800-473-7383) from 9:30am to 6pm.

Again, thank you for contacting us.

Mary Beth James
Consumer Affairs

JWS/cl

0283477A

We seem to have conflicting reports, kstreeter. Who did you talk to at Perdue? Which number and when did you call? If you can give me a name, I'll call Mary Beth James at Consumer Affairs and see if we can get to the bottom of our conflicting answers.

I called perdue a few weeks ago. I was also told to avoid the nuggets, since they could not guarantee them because someone else makes the breading. I would like to get to the bottom of this too.

This is terrible news, my kids eat them almost everyday (very picky eaters here)! I am going to contact them also. I am really getting tired of these companies not having their stories straight...one person gets one type of answer and then someone else says the total opposite!

margaret and sf,

Please list the 800 # and the rep's names. I'm curious as to who is saying what so we have something to get started with. I hate to say "pointing fingers" but that's kind of what it is.

Sorry, but I do not recall the name of the person that I spoke to at Perdue.

I just called Perdue again today, (8/13/01), at (800)473-7383 and spoke with Edy. I gave her the reference number on the email I received from Mary Beth James (0283477A), which is posted above. She said they researched this issue and found no possibility of cross-contamination at the facility which produces the breading for their products. Therefore, they contend their products are peanut-free. I mentioned other members of our community are getting conflicting answers to which they responded to call again. I personally recommend asking for Mary Beth James or Edy with the reference number of my email response to resolve this issue if anyone has further concerns. The information I received was a relief to me, and my own comfort level includes their breaded chicken nuggets once again.

Please post if you hear anything different with the name of the rep.

Thanks, I will call again too. It would be great to get a comfort level with their chicken nuggets.

Please note, that I too have spoken with Perdue about the nuggets and they are NOT safe for dairy alergic children.