If you’ve bought a can of Amy’s vegan, low-sodium lentil soup recently, it’s a good idea to check your pantry as soon as possible. Due to the risk of potential spoilage, the brand has just issued a recall for 15,350 cases of its soup, which works out to about 184,000 individual cans.
Right now, the recall is classified by the FDA as Class II, which means that the “use of or exposure” to the product could cause “temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences,” although “the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”
It’s a step down from the FDA’s highest recall classification, Class I, which indicates a “reasonable probability” of “serious adverse health consequences or death.”
Why did Amy’s recall its organic lentil soup?
Amy’s Kitchen, founded back in the 1980s, has been producing organic vegetarian convenience foods for decades, and its range includes a wide selection of vegan-friendly canned soups. The low-sodium lentil soup is one of the company’s longtime offerings, made with a relatively simple ingredient list that includes organic green lentils, celery, carrots, onions, and potatoes. It’s a staple in many American kitchens.
According to a spokesperson for the vegetarian brand, the issue with this particular batch relates to a manufacturing error. There is a “defect” in the can’s pull tab, which might allow for potential spoilage, according to People.
Canned food is, for the most part, incredibly safe. During commercial canning, food is heat-treated to destroy potentially harmful microorganisms before the container is hermetically sealed, helping to protect the contents from recontamination.
Amy’s
For that reason, many canned foods, including soups, can remain shelf-stable for years. However, if a pull-tab defect compromises the can’s seal, microorganisms from the environment could potentially enter at any point after production, including during transportation, storage, or in the home. This may include certain yeasts, molds, and spoilage bacteria that can cause the food to deteriorate.
Cans that are leaking, bulging, badly rusted, or deeply dented—particularly around the seams—should not be consumed.
“Amy’s recalled the lot out of an abundance of caution to ensure the high quality of its products,” the spokesperson told People. “No other Amy’s products or lots are involved.”
Where were the recalled cans sent?
Like many brands, Amy’s Kitchen has been involved in recalls before. In 2015, for example, it recalled more than 70,000 frozen meals due to potential Listeria contamination. Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterium that can cause an infection called listeriosis.
In the this Lentil Soup recall, the impacted cans were distributed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Some were also distributed in Canada.
The full name of the impacted product is Amy’s 14.5-oz. Organic Lentil Soup, Light in Sodium.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.