Personal Injury Law

Lean Cuisine Recall Over Blue Plastic

By Jane Akre

Lean Cuisine is known for the calories it doesn't contain. Now it's known for the blue plastic that it does.

900,000 pounds of Lean Cuisine brand frozen chicken dinners have been recalled by Nestle Prepared Foods Co. after blue plastic was found in several dinners. At least one person has been injured from eating the plastic.

Talking to ABC News, a spokesperson for Nestle said "there have been no reports of any injuries requiring medical attention."  The spokesperson admitted the company has received seven complaints with one person biting into the plastic.

The Springville, Utah company has not issued any information as to how the plastic got into the food.

Look for three varieties of the low-calorie cuisine - Café Classics Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, Spa Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean and Dinnertime Selects Chicken Tuscan.

Because the blue plastic poses a potential health threat, the recall is ranked a Class I, considered serious.

The chicken dinners were distributed nationwide and made between the dates of August 18 and October 27. Look on the box for the production code and if in doubt, and call the Lean Cuisine consumer line at 800-227-6188.

The USDA also has published a list of production codes to look for that could have the unwanted ingredient.

• 12.5 ounce Dinnertime Selects Chicken Tuscan  - with a production code of  8234595911 and a use-by date of Best before Sept. 2009; a production code of 8253595911 or 8269595912 as well as a use-by date of Best before Oct. 2009; or a production code of 8292595911 or 8296595911 as well as a use-by date of "Best before Nov. 2009."
• The 10.5-ounce Spa Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean  - with a production code of 8231595912 or 8241595912 as well as a use-by date of "Best before Sept. 2010"; a production code of 8263595912, 8269595911 or 8274595912, as well as a use-by date of "Best before Oct. 2010"; or, a production code of 8291595912 or 8301595912 " as well as a use-by date of "Best before Nov. 2010."
• A 9.5-ounce packages of Cafe Classics Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta brand frozen meals. Printed on the side of each package is a production code of 8280595912 as well as a use-by date of "Best Before May 2010."

Consumers can return the dinners for a full refund.

A Class I recall is a "health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death." #

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on November 18, 2008 (boomark / email).