If You Have This Soup in Your Pantry, Throw It Away Now, Officials Warn
Here's why this popular product could be harmful to your health.
Your pantry is likely chock-full of canned goods you've been holding on to for some time now—whether you're saving them for a rainy day or in case of emergency. But while you may feel justified in not regularly cleaning out this space because a lot of non-refrigerated items have long shelf lives than can span years, an expired product is not all you need to worry about. You could also be harboring foods that have been recalled—including a soup that was just recalled by its manufacturer. Read on to find out if you have it in your pantry.
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Several types of soup have been recalled over the last year.
Different food products are being recalled all the time for one reason or another, and soups are no exception. Over the last year, the U.S. has seen several soup recalls. Back in November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted consumers to a recall at H-E-B stores for its store-brand Creamy Tomato Basil Soup "due to the possible presence of glass in the product." Then in June, the FDA announced that more than 2,500 cases of Panera's Southwest Corn Chowder soup sold in grocery stores through its Panera at Home brand were being recalled due to an undeclared wheat allergen.
Now, another U.S. agency is warning Americans about a new recall for a different soup product.
Officials have just alerted consumers about another soup recall.
On July 20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a High Class 1 safety alert about a new food recall. According to the announcement, MSI Express Inc., a manufacturing company from Grand Prairie, Texas, is recalling nearly 16,500 pounds of chicken and rice soup mix products. The impacted products—which come from the Unilever Food Solutions company and are part of the Knorr Professional Soup du Jour line–are contained in plastic pouch products that read: Red Thai Style Curry Chicken With Rice Soup Mix. They are also marked with the establishment number "P-44055," and a best-by date of Jan. 19, 2024.
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This soup is being recalled for containing an undisclosed ingredient.
According to the alert, the Thai-style curry chicken with rice soup mix products are being recalled for two issues: misbranding and an undeclared allergen. The packages of soup impacted by the recall contain milk, but this "known allergen" is not listed on the product label.
"The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that it performed allergen testing validation on finished soup," the USDA agency explained. "It was determined that the finished soup tested positive for dairy, an allergen that was not declared on the product label, due to the establishment receiving the incorrect ingredient component."
You should not eat the recalled soup.
The recalled items were produced in January of this year and distributed across both the U.S. and Canada to "professional food service trades, such as restaurants, cafeterias, fast food chains, and sports stadiums," as well as sold online, according to the FSIS. And while the agency said there have been no confirmed reports of illness or injury associated with eating the soup mixes, they still say consumers should exercise caution.
"FSIS is concerned that some product may in the pantries of consumers, restaurants, and food service locations," the agency said. "Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and restaurants are urged not to serve these products. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase."
If you're concerned about an adverse reaction to Red Thai Style Curry Chicken With Rice Soup Mix, or any other recalled food product, contact your healthcare provider.
