Winter Gardens Southwest Chicken Salad Recall: Plastic Contamination Risk
Winter Gardens Quality Foods recalls approx. 3,710 lbs of Southwest Chicken Salad due to possible plastic contamination. Do not consume.
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possible contamination with extraneous plastic materials
What happened, in plain English
Winter Gardens Quality Foods is recalling approximately 3,710 pounds of Southwest Chicken Salad because it may be contaminated with extraneous plastic materials. The issue stems from a packaging defect in the soybean salad oil supplier's equipment, which could cause plastic pieces to flake into the product. Consumers who have purchased these items are urged not to eat them. Read more at govinfonow.com/recall/1275540-winter-gardens-southwest-chicken-salad-recall-plastic-contamination-risk.
Source Summary by GovInfoNow · govinfonow.com/recall/1275540-winter-gardens-southwest-chicken-salad-recall-plastic-contamination-risk · Updated October 11, 2026 · Official notice: USDA FSIS #018-2016
Cite this page
“Winter Gardens Southwest Chicken Salad Recall: Plastic Contamination Risk.” GovInfoNow, updated October 11, 2026. https://govinfonow.com/recall/1275540-winter-gardens-southwest-chicken-salad-recall-plastic-contamination-risk. Based on USDA FSIS recall #018-2016 (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/winter-gardens-quality-foods-inc--recalls-chicken-salad-products-due-possible).
Why it’s dangerous
The chicken salad may contain pieces of plastic that flaked or broke off from defective packaging used in the soybean salad oil. Ingesting these extraneous materials poses a physical hazard to consumers.
Who’s affected
Consumers who purchased 10-lb. bulk plastic tubs of Southwest Chicken Salad from a distributor in Pennsylvania between January 28 and February 11, 2016. While no adverse reactions have been confirmed, anyone who consumed the product should monitor for illness.
How to tell if you have this one
Check for 10-lb. bulk plastic tubs labeled "SOUTHWEST CHICKEN SALAD." Look for USE BY dates of 2/18/16, 2/19/16, 2/23/16, 2/25/16, 2/26/16, or 3/3/16. The tubs must bear establishment number "P-9815" inside the USDA mark of inspection and case code "2444."
- Brand
Winter Gardens Quality Foods- Category
Meat & poultry
What to do — step by step
Stop consuming the product
Do not eat the chicken salad if it matches the description above.
Discard or return the item
Throw away the product or return it to the place where you purchased it.
What USDA FSIS says to do
Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them.
Where it went and when
Where it was distributed
Distributed in Pennsylvania.
USDA FSIS distribution: “Pennsylvania”
States: Pennsylvania.
Recall timeline
FSIS closed this recall in 2016.
- FSIS closed the recall
- USDA FSIS announced the recall
Dates from the agency record only; steps without a date are left out.
Questions people ask
Has anyone been injured by this product?
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products at the time of the recall announcement.
How can I contact the company with questions?
You can contact Lesli Kunkle, Technical Service, at (717) 624-6052 for questions about the recall.
Where was this product sold?
The items were shipped to a distributor in Pennsylvania for further processing and distribution.
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Where this comes from
The facts (hazard, remedy, dates, manufacturer) are pulled from the official USDA FSIS recall record. The plain-language summary and step-by-step checklist are written by GovInfoNow to make the official notice easier to act on — they don’t replace it.
- Official source: USDA FSIS Recall #018-2016 (February 16, 2016)
- Plain-language summary written by qwen3.6:35b-a3b on October 11, 2026, from the official record above. Not reviewed by a person — if it conflicts with the USDA FSIS notice, the notice is correct. Report an error on this page.
- GovInfoNow is an independent service and is not a government agency. We republish official USDA FSIS recall data; we don’t issue, amend or administer recalls.