logo
Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's meals recalled for 'wood-like material' linked to choking

Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's meals recalled for 'wood-like material' linked to choking

Independent19-03-2025

Nestle USA is recalling certain batches of its Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's frozen meals for possible contamination with 'wood-like material" after a report of potential choking.
The recall applies to limited quantities of meals with best-before dates between September 2025 and April 2026. They include Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli, Lean Cuisine Spinach Artichoke Ravioli, Lean Cuisine Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry and Stouffer's Party Size Chicken Lasagna. The products were distributed to major stores in the U.S. between September 2024 and this month. No products beyond those listed are affected.
Nestle officials said they are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department and investigating the source of the wood-like material. The company said it launched the recall after consumers reported the problem, including at least one potential choking incident.
Consumers should check batch codes and best-before dates in the company's recall listing to identify the effected products. The 10-digit batch code is printed on the side of product packages.
Don't prepare or consume the products; instead, return them to the store where they were purchased for a replacement or refund. Contact Nestle USA at (800) 681-1676 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday with any questions.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kennedy to announce plan to remove artificial dyes from the nation's food supply
Kennedy to announce plan to remove artificial dyes from the nation's food supply

NBC News

time21-04-2025

  • NBC News

Kennedy to announce plan to remove artificial dyes from the nation's food supply

The Trump administration said Monday it will announce a plan to remove petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation's food supply. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary are expected to discuss the plan during a press conference Tuesday afternoon, according to an HHS press release. An agency spokesperson confirmed the press conference. Kennedy has previously vowed to eliminate artificial dyes from the nation's food supply, claiming that the dyes are responsible for behavioral problems in children, including hyperactivity — a link the FDA says it is monitoring but hasn't established. The FDA has approved 36 color additives, including nine petroleum-based synthetic dyes used in foods and beverages. Among them is Red No. 3, which is made from petroleum and gives food and drinks a cherry color and was banned in January over concerns about possible cancer risks. It was approved for use in foods in 1907. Food companies will have until 2027 to remove the dye; drug companies get an addtional year. The dyes are commonly used in thousands of products marketed to kids, including candy, breakfast cereals and soda, giving the products bright, vibrant hues. Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, called the issue 'an easy one' for Kennedy to address. While the FDA hasn't established a link, Nestle said there is some research that dyes might contribute to behavioral problems in kids. A 2021 report from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, for example, reviewed 27 trials in children and concluded food dyes can interfere with normal behavior in at least some kids. Nestle — who added that the dyes serve no purpose for food beyond cosmetics — noted that other countries have moved to either restrict or ban the dyes. In those countries, she said, companies have introduced natural alternatives. 'This should have been done a long time ago,' Nestle said. 'They've been promising to get rid of these things for years and balking. They've gotten rid of them in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. There's no reason why we can't use something else.' Jerold Mande, an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who is also a former FDA senior adviser and former deputy undersecretary for food safety at the Agriculture Department, said food dyes make ultra processed foods look more appealing, resulting in over-eating and obesity. 'Overweight is the primary food cause of cancer,' he said in an email. 'Thus, we must regulate the use of both synthetic and natural colors as well as flavors that allow food companies to transform powders and sludges into calorically dense, hyperpalatable ultra processed 'foods' that are making us and our children sick.' The FDA began looking into a possible link between dyes and behavioral problems in kids in the 1970s, when a California allergist and pediatrician proposed a possible connection. In 2011 and 2019, however, the FDA determined that no causal relationship could be established. Still, there's also a growing movement among several states to eliminate dyes. In March, Kennedy praised West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey after he signed into a bill into law banning seven of the artificial dyes approved by the FDA. The law takes effect in 2028. The law follows a similar move from California last year that banned six dyes from food served in public schools. That same month, Kennedy also told executives from major food companies in a closed-door meeting that he wanted them all gone by the end of his term. The Consumer Brands Association, an industry trade group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement in March, Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy for the group, said food and beverage makers are committed to food safety.

Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's meals recalled for 'wood-like material' linked to choking
Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's meals recalled for 'wood-like material' linked to choking

The Independent

time19-03-2025

  • The Independent

Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's meals recalled for 'wood-like material' linked to choking

Nestle USA is recalling certain batches of its Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's frozen meals for possible contamination with 'wood-like material" after a report of potential choking. The recall applies to limited quantities of meals with best-before dates between September 2025 and April 2026. They include Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli, Lean Cuisine Spinach Artichoke Ravioli, Lean Cuisine Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry and Stouffer's Party Size Chicken Lasagna. The products were distributed to major stores in the U.S. between September 2024 and this month. No products beyond those listed are affected. Nestle officials said they are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department and investigating the source of the wood-like material. The company said it launched the recall after consumers reported the problem, including at least one potential choking incident. Consumers should check batch codes and best-before dates in the company's recall listing to identify the effected products. The 10-digit batch code is printed on the side of product packages. Don't prepare or consume the products; instead, return them to the store where they were purchased for a replacement or refund. Contact Nestle USA at (800) 681-1676 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday with any questions. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Nestle CEO defends packaged food ahead of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmation
Nestle CEO defends packaged food ahead of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmation

Reuters

time13-02-2025

  • Reuters

Nestle CEO defends packaged food ahead of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmation

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Packaged food provides safe, quality nutrition for people and reduces waste, Nestle's (NESN.S), opens new tab CEO said on Thursday, defending his company's products when asked how he would navigate incoming U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s criticism of packaged food. The U.S. Senate advanced President Donald Trump's nomination of Kennedy to head the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, setting up a likely vote on awarding him the position in coming days. If confirmed, as expected, by the Republican-controlled Senate, Kennedy, 71, would head the nation's top health agency that oversees agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During his own presidential campaign, Kennedy said he wanted to "Make America Healthy Again" and called out Kellogg's Fruit Loops cereal in an interview in November. Nestle is the world's biggest packaged foods group with products ranging from KitKat snacks and Nescafe coffee to Maggi noodles and Purina pet foods. "The US is very, very important to us, and we are monitoring the situation," CEO Laurent Freixe said when asked if anyone at Nestle had spoken recently with Kennedy. "Packaged foods are very, very important for mankind," he added. "They have brought safe foods to many. They preserve the quality of the food. They allow us to fight food waste." Freixe, who was speaking after the company reported slightly better-than-forecast annual sales growth, said food insecurity and food-borne diseases would be more prevalent than they are today if not for packaged food. He noted, however, that Nestle shared Kennedy's focus on nutrition and health. "This is our goal as well. We are all for good diets, diverse diets and nutrient-rich diets," Freixe said. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store