Drop that nugget! The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a recall of 31,600 pounds of Bell & Evans gluten-free chicken nuggets that were shipped nationwide. Random testing in Colorado turned up contamination with Staphylococcal enterotoxin, and all nuggets in the batch have been recalled.

Staphylowhat? The pathogen that caused this recall is Staphylococcus aureus. If that name sounds familiar, certain strains are the “Staph” in “Staph infection” and the “SA” in “MRSA,” or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or the antibiotic-resistant superbugs that are causing serious, terrifying illnesses.

Fortunately, food poisoning with Staphylococcus aureus toxins is one of the less scary foodborne illnesses. While symptoms can begin within maybe half an hour of eating a contaminated food item, it’s usually a mild illness that lasts one to three days. That doesn’t mean you should go chomping on contaminated nuggets, though: check your freezer if this is a product that you buy regularly.

The nugget manufacturer and the U.S. Department of agriculture don’t know of any illnesses caused by this contamination to date, but some may turn up in the future. Since this is a frozen product, people could stick the nuggets in their freezers and forget about them until close to the expiration date.

The nuggets were made by Murry’s Inc., but bear the brand name Bell & Evans. The best by date on the box is August 9, 2015.

Pennsylvania Firm Recalls Chicken Products Due to Staphylococcal Enterotoxin Contamination [USDA]

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