MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian fresh chicken recalled because of salmonella contamination

BRF said production at its Dourados unit, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, was placed under a “rigorous hold”

Brazilian food processor BRF SA on Wednesday recalled almost 500 tons of fresh chicken products produced at its Dourados plant citing possible salmonella contamination, a securities filing showed.

BRF recalled 164.7 tons of fresh chicken destined for sale in the domestic market and another 299.6 tons destined for the international market as a precautionary measure.

The company said the products suspected of contamination by salmonella enteritis were produced on Oct. 30 and on six different dates in early November 2018.

The company said a team of investigators has been sent to the plant to investigate.

BRF said production at its Dourados unit, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, was placed under a “rigorous hold”.

A BRF spokeswoman said that means that the plant remains open but is operating under “a special regime”.

The recall involves products that have reached clients or are en route to local and overseas markets, the filing said.

The company is working to ensure that the release of products potentially infected with salmonella was a one-off event, it said.