In yet another example of government oversight gone wrong, the Biden administration’s USDA has issued a *public health alert* after foreign contaminants—*yes, wood*—were found in cilantro used in a wide range of popular frozen soup and bowl products. That’s right—Americans are being told *not* to eat their chicken tortilla soup because bureaucrats couldn’t keep literal lumber out of the food supply chain.
The alert, issued by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), warns consumers about *13 frozen meals* potentially tainted with wood shards thanks to contaminated cilantro, which is regulated by—you guessed it—the *FDA*. Once again, government agencies meant to protect the public are proving to be more adept at covering for each other than actually keeping food safe.
The products span familiar household brands like Campbell’s, Molly’s Kitchen, Sysco, Healthy Request, Vital Pursuit, and Meijer’s Crafted Market. These aren’t obscure labels found in some back alley grocery store—these are staple names in American homes. And yet, somehow, a shipment of cilantro embedded with *foreign material* slipped through the cracks.
The alert, however, stops short of an actual recall. According to the USDA, a public health alert is simply a way to “inform the public about potential health risks in cases where a recall cannot be recommended.” Translation? They know it’s a problem, but don’t want to inconvenience the companies behind it—or admit the full scope of the issue.
The potentially tainted products were distributed to stores and institutions across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, but the USDA has already hinted this issue *could be nationwide*. So while the Biden administration plays damage control, American families are left checking their freezers and hoping their next bite of soup doesn’t come with a splinter.
Most of the affected products are linked to establishment numbers P-17644, 17644B, or CA-711. Label images have been posted online, because of course, it’s up to the consumer to go hunting for government breadcrumbs to figure out whether the food they already purchased is safe.
Some of the contaminated items include:
Frozen Molly’s Kitchen White Bean Chicken Chili, Oct. 9, 2026
Frozen Molly’s Kitchen Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup, Oct. 7, 2026
Frozen Molly’s Kitchen Baja Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup, Oct. 28, 2026, Dec. 11, 2026
Frozen Sysco Chicken Tortilla Soup, Nov. 10, 2026
Frozen Healthy Request Mexican-Style Chicken Tortilla Soup, Oct. 27, 2026
Frozen Molly’s Kitchen Chicken Tortilla Soup, Nov. 13, 2026
Frozen Campbell’s Chicken Tortilla Soup, Oct. 24, 2026, Dec. 15 2026
Frozen Campbell’s Baja Style Chicken Enchilada Soup, Oct. 7, 2026, Nov. 3, 2026
Frozen Campbell’s Spicy Chicken Nacho Soup, Oct. 7, 2026, Nov. 3, 2026
Frozen Vital Pursuit Northwest Style Beef Taco Bowl, April 2026, May 2026
Frozen Campbell’s Verve Wicked Thai Style Soup With Chicken, Oct. 24, 2026
Meijer Crafted Market Coconut Chicken Thai Style Soup, May 21, 2025, May 29, 2025, June 3, 2025, May 5, 2025
The USDA says anyone in possession of these items should toss them or return them. Meanwhile, the bureaucrats who let this happen? No accountability, no consequences.
This fiasco underscores a growing pattern: federal agencies under Democrat leadership are too busy playing politics and appeasing global interests to focus on the basics—like ensuring our food supply is *free of wood chips*. Americans deserve better than this. We need leadership that prioritizes *real safety*, not press releases and empty apologies after the fact.
Until then? You might want to think twice before reaching for that frozen soup in your freezer.
