Request Foods Recalls Multiple Soups

Date Issued: April 4, 2025 (ongoing)
Company: Request Foods Incorporated
Products Recalled: Moroccan Style Lentil Soup, Mexican Street Corn Soup, Cuban-Style Black Bean Soup, Beecher’s Street Corn
Issue: Potential contamination with wood
Distribution: Illinois and Michigan
How to Take Action: Check your stock, stop use immediately, and return to the supplier

Wanna know more about this lentil-wood situation? Keep on reading!

What happened?

Request Foods Inc. has announced a Class II recall involving four soup products due to possible wood contamination. The recall, initiated on April 4, 2025, remains ongoing.

Affected products:

Brand	Product	Size	UPC / Code	Best By Date	Issue
Request Foods	Moroccan Style Lentil Soup	4 x 8 lb. pouches (32 lb)	Oct 11 2026 MOROCCAN STY LENTIL 19788 01115 RM 4A1 HHMM	Oct 11, 2026	Wood
Request Foods	Mexican Street Corn Soup	4 x 4 lb. pouches (16 lb)	Nov 13 2026 MEX STREET CRN SOUP 27926 02135 RM 4A1 HHMM	Nov 13, 2026	Wood
Request Foods	Cuban-Style Black Bean Soup	4 x 4 lb. pouches (16 lb)	Nov 10 2026 CUBAN BLK BN 29166 02105 RM 4A1 HHMM	Nov 10, 2026	Wood
Request Foods	Beecher’s Street Corn	18 oz., 8-pack/case	UPC 782045 115009, BEST IF USED BY 09/04/2026 HH:MM	Sept 4, 2026	Wood

What caused the issue?

The issue is foreign material contamination, specifically small fragments of wood, which could have ended up in the soup during production. While this isn’t a Class I level emergency, it could cause:

Choking hazards
Mouth injuries or oral trauma
Gastrointestinal discomfort

At this time, no injuries or illnesses have been reported, but consumers should be cautious. At-risk groups include young children, the elderly, individuals with swallowing difficulties, those with gastrointestinal conditions, and immunocompromised individuals—who may face a higher risk of injury from ingesting foreign materials like wood.

Questions you might have

1. Which products are affected by the recall?
Request Foods has recalled several soup products, including Moroccan Style Lentil Soup, Mexican Street Corn Soup, Cuban-Style Black Bean Soup, and Beecher’s Street Corn, due to potential wood contamination.

2. Why is the presence of wood in food considered a serious issue?
Foreign material such as wood may cause physical harm, including choking, oral injury, or gastrointestinal discomfort, particularly among vulnerable populations.

3. How was the issue identified?
The recall was initiated following internal quality assurance procedures that indicated the possible presence of wood in the affected products.

4. Have any injuries or illnesses been reported to date?
At the time of the recall notice, no related injuries or illnesses have been reported.

5. In which locations were the recalled items distributed?
The affected products were distributed in retail outlets across Illinois and Michigan.

6. How can consumers identify the recalled products?
Each product is labeled with a specific name, UPC code, and “Best If Used By” date. A detailed reference table has been provided in this article to assist with product identification.

7. What actions should consumers take if they have purchased an affected product?
Consumers should not consume the product. Instead, they are advised to either dispose of it safely or return it to the original place of purchase.

8. Are consumers eligible for a refund?
Most retailers will offer a refund or store credit upon the return of the recalled product or its packaging, though policies may vary.

9. Has Request Foods issued recalls in the past?
There is a record of previous recalls from the company. For more information, consumers can consult the FDA’s recall database.

10. How can consumers better protect themselves from potential food safety issues?
Consumers are encouraged to stay informed through trusted food safety resources, purchase from reputable suppliers, and carefully review product labels and recall notices, especially when dealing with multi-batch or long-shelf-life items.

Here’s what you should do

If you’ve got these products in stock, here’s what to do next:

Stop use immediately
Check the label: Look for the codes and best-by dates listed above
Don’t taste test—discard or return the product to the supplier
Contact Request Foods for support or refund details

Behind the brand

Request Foods, based in Holland, Michigan, is a long-time manufacturer of frozen meals and soups for private label brands and national retailers. In these past months, other recalls have been issued for similar contamination issues across the industry. Take a look at these examples:

On February 11, 2025, Grain Millers Inc. issued a recall for certain batches of regular and quick rolled oats due to the discovery of potential plastic contamination.
On April 4, 2025, Johnsonville, LLC announced a voluntary recall of their Cheddar Bratwurst due to the risk of plastic contamination.

“Foreign material contamination—whether it’s wood in soup or metal in a snack—underscores the urgent need for robust food safety systems. These aren’t minor oversights; they can have real consequences for consumer health and brand integrity. In today’s fast-paced manufacturing environments, constant vigilance through preventive controls, employee training, and equipment maintenance is essential.” Eran Mizrahi, CEO of Source86

Ensuring safe eats

While a bit of wood might add “earthiness” to your soup, it’s definitely not part of a balanced recipe. This recall serves as a reminder that ingredient manufacturers and processors must maintain rigorous food safety controls to prevent foreign object contamination.

Manufacturers should:

Strengthen visual inspection and foreign object detection systems
Ensure quality assurance (QA) and hazard analysis protocols are routinely updated
React swiftly with traceability programs to minimize impact

As for retailers, foodservice operators, and distributors: check your inventory, take swift action, and keep your QA teams informed.

Got questions about ingredient safety or private label solutions? Get in touch or explore our range of clean, food-safe ingredients today!