"These items were shipped to Walmart locations nationwide," the agency says, with up to five times higher levels than limits allow.
Editor’s note: On April 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) retracted the previous health alert “after confirming that the product does not pose a public health concern.” Continues the update: “FSIS subsequently reviewed the underlying laboratory data in coordination with the New York State Department of Health and determined that the initial result was a false positive, caused by sporadic lead contamination at the laboratory during analysis, not contamination of the product itself. Follow up testing confirmed no elevated levels of lead were present in any of the products tested.”
Chicken nuggets are the universal protein in many households with kids, and dinosaur shapes can have a special way of getting the job done. Wednesday, April 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published a health advisory for Great Value Fully Cooked Dino Shaped Chicken Breast Nuggets after it was found that the products “may be contaminated with unsafe levels of lead.”
The FSIS says the affected product is a 29-ounce (oz.) plastic bag containing approximately 36 nuggets, with a reported Best If Used By date of Feb. 10, 2027, lot code 0416DPO1215, and establishment number P44164 printed on the back of the bag. The nuggets are said to have been produced on Feb. 10, 2026 and shipped to Walmart locations nationwide. The FSIS lists Oklahoma-based Dorada Foods as the manufacturer, which calls itself “one of the nation’s leading protein-processing companies.”
A recall was not requested because the alert suggests the products are no longer available for purchase—but the FSIS is urging consumers to check their freezers, as bags may still be on hand.
The problem is said to have been discovered during routine surveillance sampling conducted by a state partner.
Who is most at risk
Lead exposure is dangerous for most anyone, but the stakes are especially high for the very consumers most likely to have these nuggets at home. The announcement lists the FDA’s interim reference level for lead as 2.2 micrograms, and the amount found in these nuggets could be as much as five times higher than that threshold for children.
The FSIS also flagged the risk for women who are pregnant or could become pregnant. “Lead is especially dangerous for pregnant women, infants, and young children because it can harm developing brains and nervous systems, sometimes causing lasting problems,” the FSIS states. “There is no safe amount of lead exposure.”
What to do
“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,” reads the announcement. The FSIS says it is continuing to investigate and that additional products may be later added to the alert.
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