Campbell’s Soup products face a public health alert after wood fragments were discovered in numerous institutional soups, prompting federal officials to order immediate recalls of affected items.
At a Glance
- USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service issued a health alert for soups potentially contaminated with wood fragments
- Thirteen products were affected including Campbell’s Chicken Tortilla, Baja-Style Chicken Enchilada, and other institutional soups
- Products were distributed to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, but authorities warn more states could be affected
- Campbell’s clarified that affected products are food-service varieties not sold in retail stores
- Consumers should dispose of or return products immediately
Food Safety Alert Impacts Multiple Brands
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert regarding soups and bowl products potentially contaminated with wood fragments. The alert follows a broader Food and Drug Administration recall of cilantro that was discovered to contain foreign material. This contaminated cilantro was subsequently used as an ingredient in multiple soup products, triggering the current health warning that affects several major brands across multiple states.
The alert specifically names thirteen products, with several Campbell’s soups among the affected items. These include Campbell’s Chicken Tortilla, Baja-Style Chicken Enchilada, Verve Wicked Thai-Style with Chicken, and Verve Spicy Chicken Nacho. Additional brands caught in the recall include Health Request, Vital Pursuit, Molly’s Kitchen, Sysco, and Crafted Market products, significantly expanding the scope of potentially hazardous items on the market.
Distribution and Consumer Guidance
The contaminated products were primarily distributed to retail and institutional locations in four Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. However, the FSIS has issued a warning that additional products and regions might be added to the alert as their investigation continues, potentially expanding the recall to a national scale. This development has left many consumers across the country concerned about items already in their pantries.
Federal officials have provided clear guidance for those who may have purchased the affected items. Both consumers and institutions are being strongly advised not to consume or serve these products under any circumstances. Instead, they should immediately dispose of the items or return them to their place of purchase. This precautionary measure aims to prevent potential injuries that could result from consuming food contaminated with wood fragments.
Campbell’s Clarifies Retail Impact
In response to growing consumer concern, Campbell’s has issued an important clarification about which of their products are involved in the recall. According to company representatives, the soups mentioned in the health alert are specifically food-service varieties that are sold to restaurants and other institutional settings, not the familiar retail products many Americans keep in their homes.
“The soups included in the health alert are food-service varieties sold in restaurants and other institutions,” Campbell’s spokesperson James Regan told Fox News Digital. “They are not sold in retail stores in cans or bowls.”
This situation highlights the critical importance of food supply chain safety and oversight. The discovery of wood fragments in a widely-used ingredient like cilantro demonstrates how contamination at one point in the production process can cascade through multiple products and brands. It also underscores why federal agencies maintain vigilant monitoring systems to catch and address such issues before widespread harm occurs to American consumers.