Recalls Issued For Two Popular Grocery Items

Recalls have been issued for two popular grocery items due to a risk of personal injury. The products in question are SpaghettiOs believed to have not been adequately heated during processing and Marie Callender’s frozen dinners posing a risk of salmonella.

Both recalls were announced on June 17 by the Department of Agriculture. ConAgra Foods is issuing a recall for all Marie Callender’s brand cheesy chicken-and-rice frozen meals after they were potentially linked to an outbreak of salmonella in 14 states. Campbell Soup is issuing a recall for 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs with meatballs because of a malfunctioning cooker at one of the company’s Texas plants.

According to ConAgra, the recall for the Marie Callender’s meals came after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention informed the company of a possible link between the meals and 29 illnesses. Eight of the people who were sickened say they consumed the product in April or May.

All of the meals, which bear the label “Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice: White Meat Chicken and Broccoli Over Topped With Rich Cheddar Sauce” are under recall by ConAgra, regardless of the date of production. The product was distributed to retail outlets across the U.S.

The most common salmonella symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. The illness can be life-threatening, especially to those who have weakened immune systems.

No illnesses have been reported in connection to the SphagettiOs under recall, but Anthony Sanzio said the company is issuing a recall for certain lots of the product manufactured since December 2008 “out of an abundance of caution” due to officials not being certain when a cooker at the plant in Paris, Texas malfunctioned.

Due to the cans not being sufficiently heated, Sanzio said, they could potentially be ripe for bacterial growth and the product could spoil before its use-by date.

Sanzio said the recall likely affects around 35,000 cases of SphagettiOs currently on the market.

Three varieties of the product often consumed by children are under recall: SpaghettiOs with Meatballs, SpaghettiOs A to Z with Meatballs, and SpaghettiOs Fun Shapes with Meatballs (Cars).

Sanzio says the company has currently not received any complaints from customers.