26 April 2023
WASHINGTON (KSNT) – A public health alert has been issued for several ready-to-eat meat soup products due to the possibility that they may be at risk of premature spoilage.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued the alert on April 25. No recall was issued as these products are no longer available for purchase.
The public health alert includes the following products:
48-oz. packages containing two 24-oz. cups of “Ivar’s Puget Sound Clam Chowder With Bacon” with Use By dates 4/26/2023, 4/27/2023, 5/3/2023, 5/4/2023, 5/5/2023, 5/11/2023, 5/23/2023, 5/30/2023, 6/2/2023, 6/6/2023, 6/7/2023, 7/5/2023, 7/20/2023, 8/1/2023, 8/10/2023, and 8/17/2023.
48-oz. packages containing two 24-oz. cups of “Ivar’s Loaded Baked Potato Soup” with Use By dates 5/9/2023, 5/19/2023, 6/16/2023, and 7/18/2023.
48-oz. packages containing two 24-oz. cups of “Ivar’s Rustic Zuppa Toscana Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup” with Use By dates 4/30/2023, 5/2/2023, 5/14/2023, 5/15/2023, 5/21/2023, 5/22/2023, and 5/30/2023.
20-oz. cup of “Ivar’s PUGET SOUND Clam Chowder With Bacon” with Use By dates 4/26/2023, 5/5/2023, 6/6/2023, 7/20/2023, and 8/10/2023.
20-oz. cup of “Pike Place Fish Market World Famous Clam Chowder With Bacon” with Use By dates 5/4/2023, 7/5/2023, and 8/1/2023.
The products bear the establishment number “EST. 20173” inside the USDA mark of inspection, according to the FSIS. The products were sent to retail locations across the U.S. and were also exported to Mexico.
The health alert was issued as the soup products may have been prepared, packed or held in unsanitary conditions, according to the FSIS. This could result in premature spoiling in the products. The FSIS was notified of the problem after receiving numerous customer complaints about bloated soup packages. Lab testing showed there were high levels of spoilage bacteria in the products.
The FSIS said there have not been any confirmed reports of illness linked to these products yet. Eating contaminated products can lead to illness for immunocompromised people.
If you purchased this product, you are encouraged to throw it away or return it to the place of purchase, according to the FSIS. If you have any questions about this product, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry hotline at 888-674-6854 or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. To see the original public health alert on the FSIS website, click here.
To see images of the impacted products, look below:
Public Health Alert by Matthew Self on Scribd