You may not be familiar with Bellisio Foods, but you’ve undoubtedly seen or even eaten some of their food products before. The company, which is based out of Ohio, specializes in frozen TV dinners and is behind well-known brands like Michelina’s, Atkins, and Canyon Kitchen.
The Michelina’s brand is perhaps the most popular Bellisio Foods product to the extent that the meals are cheap, relatively tasty, and diverse. With that said, Bellisio Foods recently issued a recall for its Spaghetti with Meat Sauce product due to a misbranding issue involving soy, which is an allergen not listed as an ingredient on the box. The recall impacts nearly 4,000 pounds of boxes that were shipped to retail locations across the country.
If you have Michelina’s Spaghetti with Meat Sauce in your freezer, you should throw it away immediately if you have an issue with soy. While you don’t often think about soy being an allergen, it’s similar in a sense to peanuts insofar that most people can digest it with no problems, but some people can experience adverse reactions.
According to the Mayo Clinic, some symptoms associated with a soy allergy include the following:
- Tingling in the mouth
- Hives; itching; or itchy, scaly skin (eczema)
- Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, or other body parts
- Wheezing, a runny nose or breathing difficulty
- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
- Skin redness (flushing)
And while rare, a severe reaction to soy can include the following:
- Difficulty breathing, caused by throat swelling
- Shock, with a severe drop in blood pressure
- Rapid pulse
- Dizziness, lightheadedness or loss of consciousness
It is worth noting that there have been no reports of anyone suffering any type of adverse reactions or illness from the Michelina product.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture, offers plenty of important info in its recall notice, including two key points. First, the notice states that anyone who purchased the recalled products is “urged not to consume them.” And second, the notice states that people should return the recalled spaghetti to get a refund, or call the manufacturer at the number provided to discuss the matter. Here’s more:
The frozen, NRTE spaghetti with meat sauce items were produced April 22, 2021. The following products are subject to recall:
- 8.5-oz paperboard tray with lid packages containing “Michelina’s Spaghetti with Meat Sauce” with lot code J1112N8, “BEST BY 22APR2022”, and a UPC code of “7 17854 10503 9” on the bottom label.
The problem was discovered when the company determined soy-containing ingredients may have comingled with the recalled product that does not normally contain soy.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Krista Cummings, Consumer Affairs, Bellisio Foods, Inc., at (800) 446-5469 or email kcummings@bellisiofoods.com.
