Tomato Soup Recall as Dire Warning Issued

A food company has issued an allergy alert over an undeclared potential allergen.

Hearty Acquisitions Inc. has recalled its Tomato Basil With Rice product because the presence of soy was not declared on the label. The Butternut Squash Bisque product was labeled as the tomato and basil product.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall.

In a statement provided to Newsweek, Hearty Acquisitions said the issue was brought to the company's attention by a distributor and vendors were "notified immediately."

"We were able to catch the error rapidly and a minimal amount of the wrong labeled product was distributed to the public," the company said. "The amount of the wrong labeled product was small and only distributed to 4 local stores in NY city."

Soy allergies are one of the most common food allergies among infants and children, according to University of California San Francisco Health. The health specialists said symptoms of an allergic reaction to soy can include abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, swelling and hives. In more serious cases, anaphylaxis can occur in which "the immune system releases a flood of chemicals that can cause the body to go into shock," Mayo Clinic said.

Anaphylaxis can occur within seconds to minutes and cause blood pressure to fall and a narrowing of the airways.

Hearty Acquisitions said in an announcement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website that people with soy allergies "run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products." The recall pertains specifically to Hearty Acquisitions' 16 oz containers, expiring on March 22.

Affected products were distributed to the following stores in New York: Food Garden Market, Windsor Market, Lincoln Market and Food Universe.

The Brooklyn-based firm said: "The product comes in a 16-ounce, clear plastic package labeled as 'Tomato Basil With Rice 3/22/2024' marked with lot #03222024 on the top side lid and with an expiration date of 03/22/2024, and UPC 635508547872."

Hearty Acquisitions added: "The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the soy containing product was distributed in packaging that was labeled as 'Tomato Basil With Rice EXP 3/22/2024' and did not reveal the presence of soy. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by mislabeling of the product during the boxing process."

Consumers who have purchased the product are urged to dispose of them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Recalls in the food industry are not uncommon, but are issued when a product may be harmful to a person in some way. This can be due to the wrong ingredients being listed as a product or if consumers are not made aware of potential allergens.

In more extreme cases, companies will identify harmful bacteria such as salmonella, which can cause food poisoning and, in more serious cases, hospitalization or even death.

Hearty Acquisitions said: "To prevent this from happening again, we are having an emergency meeting and training with our Quality Control and Boxing teams and reviewing the root cause. We are also instituting a third verification step in the boxing process to ensure that this doesn't happen again."

Update 2/2/24, 12:58 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with a comment from Hearty Acquisitions.