Soup’s off the menu — literally.
A soup sold at Whole Foods stores across more than a dozen states has been recalled after federal officials discovered it may contain an unexpected (and potentially dangerous) ingredient: shrimp.
Kettle Cuisine is recalling 24-ounce cups of Whole Foods Market Kitchen Minestrone Soup after the US Food and Drug Administration said the product may contain undeclared crustacean shellfish.
In other words, if you’re allergic to shellfish, this cozy veggie classic could turn into a not-so-cozy emergency.
The recall spans a wide swath of the US, with the vegetarian soup distributed across the South, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
This includes Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia up through the Carolinas and Virginia, across to Tennessee and Florida, and into the Northeast, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, as well as Maryland and Washington, D.C.
It was also sold online through the Whole Foods website as well as Amazon — meaning it may have landed on more doorsteps than dinner tables.
According to the FDA, the recall was triggered after a single in-store cup of the popular, fan-favorite meal was found to contain shrimp instead of the expected ingredients. No other soups or lot codes are affected.
The product comes in a 24-ounce clear plastic container marked with lot code 1762181 and a use-by date of May 27, 2026, with UPC 099482502065 on the back label.
So far, no illnesses have been reported — but officials warn that consumers with shellfish allergies could face serious or even life-threatening reactions if they dig in unaware.
Customers who bought the affected soup are advised, of course, to return it for a full refund.
The now-recalled, hearty, thick Italian vegetable soup was stocked in the grab-and-go refrigerated deli section at Whole Foods stores, usually in prepared foods or in end-cap displays near soup and salad bars.
For any related questions, Kettle Cuisine can be reached at 617-409-1100, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
The company is headquartered in Lynn, Mass., where it operates its primary manufacturing facility.
This soup withdrawal is the latest in a growing parade of product scares, joining recent recalls including more than 121,000 children’s squishy toys pulled over asbestos concerns and thousands of Costco patio swings flagged after reports of seats detaching mid-use — because nothing says “relaxing weekend” like sudden airborne furniture.
For now, though, soup lovers may want to double-check the label before heating things up.
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