100,000 Pounds Of Chicken Were Recalled From Restaurants Due To This Small Oversight

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When most people hear about food recalls, they likely imagine some kind of harmful bacteria or foreign substance contaminating a product, requiring it to be taken off the shelf. But in early 2025, more than 100,000 pounds of perfectly edible chicken were recalled. The reason was just as serious as any other: undeclared allergens among the ingredients.

The January 2025 recall was conducted by Custom Food Solutions, a Kentucky-based company that supplies a variety of restaurants with soups, fillings, salsas, sauces, desserts, and pre-cooked proteins. The company recalled 105,164 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat "drunken chicken" sold to 11 Yats restaurants in Indiana. Unlike some of the deadliest recalled foods in U.S. history, the issue wasn't related to contamination of any kind. The chicken contained both egg and sesame, two of the nine major food allergens that federal law requires be specifically noted on food labels to prevent potential illnesses or injuries.

Although most diners would be able to chow down on the drunken chicken with no adverse effects, those who are allergic to sesame or egg could experience a variety of unpleasant or even deadly symptoms. These range from tingling or itching of the mouth to stomach pain, and swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, and the severe reaction known as anaphylaxis, which requires emergency treatment. Fortunately, there were no confirmed reports of injuries or illnesses linked to the product.

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In many ways, this recall is actually a sign of America's food inspection system working as intended. The USDA says the issue was discovered during routine labeling review activities, a welcome alternative to chasing down the source of a mysterious foodborne illness outbreak. Efforts like these are also behind the numerous food recalls that never made it to grocery stores. The reasons for these can range from similar undisclosed allergens to E. coli, Listeria, or pieces of metal contaminating the food.

Time will tell how this incident stacks up against similar problems that may arise in 2025. However, while 100,000 pounds of chicken is by no means a small quantity, it also isn't very large compared to the biggest food recalls of 2024. Many of those cases reached over a million pounds, including one that involved more than 11 million pounds of ready-to-eat poultry and meat items and another that affected 64 million pounds of Totally Cool ice cream products. Some products were also sold directly to consumers, whereas the Custom Food Solutions chicken recall affected only a few dozen restaurants. That presumably made it easier to track down and dispose of the mislabeled food.

There's no doubt this recall was inconvenient for affected Yats restaurants in Indiana. But for the many Americans with food allergies, it's an important move to keep them safe when enjoying food at their favorite eateries.