Morningstar Farms has recalled two plant-based meat substitute products over concerns they could contain pieces of plastic, according to a notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The products being recalled are Morningstar’s Buffalo Chik’n Nuggets as well as the Hot and Spicy Sausage Patties, which have best-by dates between July 5-7, 2027. No other Morningstar products are affected by this recall, according to the FDA.
Consumers who have purchased the products are encouraged to throw them away and contact Morningstar Farms for a full refund. Anyone can call Morningstar’s office of consumer affairs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET by calling 800-962-0120 or texting 877-453-5837.
It’s unclear how many consumers may have found plastic in their food, or if any did at all, and this is simply precautionary. The recall notice also doesn’t say how large the plastic pieces could be, nor how they may have come in contact with the food. It’s common for recalls of this nature—whether it’s plastic or metal—to be related to pieces of machinery in the packaging process.
We simply don’t know what’s specifically happened here. Morningstar Farms didn’t immediately respond to emailed questions on Wednesday. Morningstar Farms products are sold at major supermarkets across the country, including Walmart, Target, Albertsons, Vons, and more.
The last major recall from Morningstar appears to have been over a decade ago in 2015, when the company’s black bean burgers contained peanuts without a declaration on the packaging, a hazard for those with a peanut allergy.
Morningstar Farms was founded in 1975 to make soy-based “meatless meats” and makes a wide variety of fake meat versions of breakfast sausage, hot dogs, burgers, chicken nuggets, and corn dogs, among other products. Kellogg’s purchased the brand in 1999.
Vegans have long criticized MorningStar Farms for using eggs and dairy in some of its products, but the company has been working to eliminate animal-derived ingredients from its lineup.
In 2019, the company announced it would be going completely vegan by 2021, but that never fully came to pass. The company has explained that it was difficult to convert some of its products to vegan versions, though many made the switch.
