Walmart dinosaur nuggets flagged by US officials over “unsafe” levels of lead

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The U.S. Food and Safety Inspection Service is advising people not to eat Walmart’s Great Value dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets due to safety concerns.

Chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs are a favorite snack for people of all ages. However, one brand is being recalled because they may contain lead, which is a dangerous health risk.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that a specific batch of Great Value dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets sold at Walmart may have too much lead and should not be eaten. These nuggets were made on February 10, 2026.

This product is best used by February 10, 2027. You can find the lot code – ‘0416DPO1215’ – and the establishment number ‘P44164’ printed on the back of the packaging.

Great Value dino nuggets could contain “five times” benchmark amount of lead

State testing found lead in the chicken nuggets during regular monitoring, according to the FSIS report.

Any amount of lead can be harmful, but the USDA’s FSIS warns it’s particularly dangerous for pregnant women, babies, and young children. Lead can damage their developing brains and nervous systems.

The FDA sets a limit of 2.2 micrograms for lead exposure, but the USDA says lead levels in some Walmart chicken nuggets could be up to five times that amount for children.

Although the nuggets aren’t being recalled, and are no longer on shelves, the USDA is advising Walmart customers to either discard them or return them to the store where they bought them.

It’s surprising to think lead could end up in dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. According to the FDA, lead can contaminate food if it’s present in the soil, water, or during food processing.

The amount of lead found in the environment changes based on the area’s natural characteristics and whether lead was used in manufacturing or products nearby, now or in the past, according to the report.

It’s currently unknown how lead ended up in the Walmart dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, but food safety expert Bill Marler believes it probably came from one of the ingredients added to the chicken, not the chicken itself.

The lead isn’t likely coming from the chicken meat itself, but from something used on the outside, like the breading or spices. According to a statement to the New York Post, lead wouldn’t normally be present in a chicken product unless the breading was accidentally contaminated.

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2026-04-02 22:19