Texas Woman Says She Found a Feather Sticking Out of Tyson Chicken Nugget, Prompting Food Safety Concerns Online
TEXAS — A Texas woman says she was horrified after discovering a feather embedded in a Tyson chicken nugget while preparing dinner, sparking widespread disgust and renewed concerns about food safety at one of America’s largest poultry producers.
The woman, identified as Destiny Elizabeth Nicole Morales (@destinyelizabeth14) on TikTok, posted a video showing a Tyson chicken nugget with a feather visibly sticking out of the breading. Her video has since been viewed more than 62,000 times, drawing hundreds of shocked reactions from viewers.
“I was about to make some of these Tyson chicken nuggets, and there’s a literal feather in the chicken nuggets,” Morales says in the clip, holding up the frozen family-size bag.
The close-up footage leaves little room for doubt — a thin feather can be seen protruding from the golden breading of one nugget. “It’s disgusting,” she says in disbelief.
‘I Can’t Believe This Made It Through Production’
Morales told viewers she noticed the feather before heating the nuggets. The finding quickly triggered alarm among pet owners and parents who frequently buy Tyson’s frozen products for convenience.
“This is just nasty. How does something like this make it past inspection?” one viewer commented. Another joked darkly, “At least you know it’s real chicken.”
But many weren’t laughing — some commenters questioned Tyson’s quality control altogether.
“My question is, why are we still buying Tyson products?” one user wrote.
What Food Safety Experts Say
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the presence of non-food foreign materials — including metal, plastic, glass, rubber, or wood — renders a product adulterated and unsafe for sale.
While feathers are technically part of poultry, they’re not permitted in finished products once processing is complete. If any part of the feather or quill remains attached in a way that could present a choking hazard or cause injury, the product would be considered contaminated.
The FDA’s guidelines further note that objects smaller than 7 millimeters that may be ingested or concealed within food still qualify as hazardous under the Foreign Material Contamination Standards.
In short, even something as small as a feather fragment can warrant investigation — especially when found in pre-cooked, mass-produced foods meant for children and families.
@destinyelizabeth14 A feather in my Tyson chicken nugget 😅 #fyp #tyson #chickennuggets
Tyson’s History of Recalls for Contamination
This isn’t the first time Tyson Foods has faced backlash over foreign objects in its products.
In November 2023, the company recalled nearly 30,000 pounds of its “Fun Nuggets” after consumers discovered metal fragments inside the chicken. One customer even reported a minor oral injury from biting into the product.
Previous recalls have involved pieces of plastic, reflective materials, and blue rubber fragments found in ground beef and poultry products. The recurring incidents have prompted criticism from consumers and regulators alike over the company’s food safety procedures.
Viewers React: Shock, Humor, and Outrage
The comments on Morales’ post range from sarcastic to alarmed.
- “At least you know it’s real chicken,” one viewer wrote.
- Another added, “The way I’d NEVER eat chicken again — my brain doesn’t even trust it to begin with.”
- A third said bluntly, “If I saw that feather, I’d be done with meat forever.”
Despite the disgust, some commenters also pointed out that feathers occasionally slip through automated processing in poultry plants — a rare but possible error during the de-feathering stage.
Tyson Responds
While Tyson Foods has not yet issued a public response to this specific incident, the company has previously stated that its production lines include multiple quality checks, including metal detectors, visual inspections, and x-ray scanners, to ensure food safety.
However, as cases like Morales’ continue to surface on social media, public confidence in the brand appears to be wavering.
“Finding something like that in a product you trust is unsettling,” one viewer commented. “Tyson needs to tighten up its quality control.”
For now, Morales says she’ll think twice before buying from the brand again.
“I’m so disgusted right now,” she said in her video. “This was supposed to be an easy dinner — and now I can’t even look at these nuggets.”
For ongoing updates on food safety, product recalls, and consumer alerts, visit NapervilleLocal.com.
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