Australia’s national food safety regulator has launched an urgent product recall targeting specific batches of a widely distributed chicken-flavored snack, after producers confirmed the presence of rubber contamination in affected packaging. Food Standards Australia (FSA) announced the recall Wednesday for certain production runs of Snackbrands Chickadees, a popular corn and rice-based snack sold across the country. The contamination was first identified by the snack’s manufacturer during routine quality checks, prompting the immediate nationwide recall notice. Affected products have been stocked at all major Australian grocery chains, including Woolworths, Coles, and independent IGA locations, making the recall relevant to consumers across every state and territory. The FSA has published a full list of affected batches to help customers identify potentially contaminated products: 6-pack multipacks of 19-gram single-serve bags with best-before dates of August 1, August 8, and August 12; 190-gram bulk bags with an August 15 best-before date; and both 90-gram and 45-gram sized bags with a December 12 best-before date. In an official public notice posted to its website, FSA is urging all consumers who have purchased any of the affected batches to avoid consuming the product immediately. Instead, customers are instructed to return the snack to their original point of purchase to receive a full refund, no receipt required per most retail chains’ recall policies. For consumers who may have already eaten portions of the affected snack, FSA advises that anyone experiencing adverse health effects or unusual symptoms should contact a medical professional promptly for assessment. Rubber contamination in food products poses a choking hazard and can cause internal damage if consumed, making this recall a high-priority public safety alert. This recall comes as Australian food safety officials continue to ramp up checks for foreign material contamination across popular snack lines, following a small uptick in similar incidents over the past 12 months.