4 weeks Ago
A public health alert has been issued for some varieties of packaged soup and bowls. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued the alert for more than a dozen products, from brands including Campbell’s and Molly’s Kitchen, after an ingredient in the products — cilantro — was recalled because it may be contaminated with a foreign material: wood. The products affected are mostly frozen soups and food bowls sold under the brands of Campbell’s, Molly’s Kitchen, Healthy Request, Sysco, Vital Pursuit, and Crafted Market by Meijer.
Some of the products on the list include Campbell’s Chicken Tortilla Soup, Campbell’s Spicy Chicken Nacho Soup, and Molly’s Kitchen White Bean Chicken Chili. Other products affected include the frozen Vital Pursuit Southwest Style Beef Taco Bowl and Meijer Crafted Market Coconut Chicken Thai Style Soup. The FSIS has a complete list of affected products and their lot numbers .
The food safety agency also says other products may be added to the list, and encourages consumers to check frequently for any developments. As of now, the public health alert affects products shipped to retail and institutional locations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. However, if more products are added to the alert, there could be “nationwide impacts,” the FSIS said in an April 11 release.
The FSIS urges anyone who has purchased these products to not consume them, and for institutions with the products in their fridges or freezers to not serve them to customers. Affected items should either be thrown away or returned to where they were purchased, the agency says. A public health alert is different from a recall.
While recalls involve a company pulling its own product off the market over safety concerns, the FSIS issues public health alerts to “inform the public about potential health risks in cases where a recall cannot be recommended,” according to the . Other food products have been recalled in recent weeks over possible contamination with a foreign material. In March, certain varieties of Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s frozen meals over the possible presence of “wood-like material,” according to a release from Nestlé USA.
Last month, Del Monte Foods nearly 200,000 cans of green beans sold at Target over concerns they could be contaminated with an unspecified foreign object. Possible foreign material contamination is a relatively uncommon reason for food recalls, according to , a consumer advocacy group. In 2024, the most common reasons for food recalls were concerns over undeclared allergens, listeria and salmonella contamination.
Lindsay Lowe has been a regular contributor to TODAY.com since 2016, covering pop culture, style, home and other lifestyle topics. She is also working on her first novel, a domestic drama set in rural Regency England.
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