Willow Tree Poultry Farm, Inc. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Chicken Salad Products due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen

Class I Recall
Release: 024-2020
Health Risk: High
Date: Sep 16, 2020

Congressional and Public Affairs
Felicia Thompson
(202) 720-9113
FSISpress@usda.gov

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2020 – Willow Tree Poultry Farm, Inc., an Attleboro, Mass. establishment is recalling approximately 6,890 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken salad products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The products may contain walnuts, a known allergen, which are not declared on the product labels. 

The RTE chicken salad product labeled as “Classic Chicken Salad” may actually contain “White Meat Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad” and was produced on Sept. 2, 2020. The following product is subject to recall: [View Labels (PDF Only)]

• 15-oz. clear, plastic containers labeled as “Willow Tree Premium White Meat CHICKEN SALAD Classic” with a sell by date of “9/30/20” and a time stamp of 13:00:00 through 17:00:00 on the containers’ cellophane lid.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. P-8827” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.            

The problem was discovered after the firm received a customer complaint reporting walnuts and cranberries were in a container of “Classic” chicken salad.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.  

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in retailer and consumers’ refrigerators. Retailers who have obtained these products are urged not to sell them. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify that recalling firms are notifying their customers of the recall and that actions are being taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Alex Cekala, Willow Tree Poultry Farm, Inc. General Manager, at ACekala@willowtreefarm.com or at (508) 951-8351. Members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Walter Cekala, Willow Tree Poultry Farm, Inc. President, at WCekala@willowtreefarm.com or at (508) 944-0529.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.