A chicken soup recall was announced due to the soup containing a known allergen that wasn’t listed on the label.
Produced by Massachusetts-based Blount Fine Foods, the soup contained milk, a known allergen, despite not having it listed on the label, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The soup items were also mislabeled.
While the items contained “Chicken & Poblano Pepper Soup,” they were labeled as “Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup.”
The soup was produced on Jan. 24 and shipped nationwide.
All the products bear the establishment number “EST. P-19449A” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
Anyone who has the products are urged not to consume them or serve them. Instead, people should throw the products away or return them for a refund.
The following product description was circulated:
“8-lb. cases containing 2 bags of ‘HOMESTYLE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP’ with a ‘USE BY 01242020 LOT 01242019 28A’ lot code. The plastic bags inside the case are labeled as ‘Chicken & Poblano Pepper Soup’ but do not identify a list of ingredients.”
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Blount Fine Foods Customer Care Team at (866) 674-4519 or email: [email protected].
Recalls
According to a report (pdf) published by the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service published in 2018, there were an average of 304 recalls between 2004 and 2008 and an average of 676 recalls between 2009 and 2013.
The following six food categories accounted for most of the recalls across those years: prepared foods and meals, 11.9 percent; nuts, seeds, and nut products, 10.9 percent; baked goods, 9 percent; grains and grain products, 8.4 percent; candy products, 7.9 percent, and sauces, condiments, and dressings, 5 percent.
The most common reason for each category except for nuts was failure to declare major allergens. The most common reason for nut recalls was possible Salmonella contamination.
Overall, 41 percent of the recalls were the result of pathogen contamination, such as Salmonella or E. Coli, while 27.4 percent were the result of undeclared allergens.
The most significant recall event between 2004 and 2013 took place in January 2009. Peanut butter linked to a Salmonella outbreak was recalled.
The outbreak was ultimately responsible for at least 714 illnesses and nine deaths, and led to the recall of a number of products containing peanut butter or peanut paste, including cookies, crackers, and cereal; overall, over 400 separate recalls related to the outbreak occurred.
Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, a common bacterial foodborne illness which causes an estimated 1.2 illnesses and 450 deaths in the United States every year, noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated product. Most people recover without treatment; most of those hospitalized suffer from severe diarrhea. The illness typically lasts four to seven days.
According to the CDC, roughly 1 in 6 Americans, or 48 million people, get sick every year from foodborne diseases such as Salmonella. Of those, approximately 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.
