Making your own SpaghettiOs might be a better option, thanks to the recall. Image from Flickr.
Last night, Campbell Soup Company put out a SpaghettiOs recall that affects approximately 15 million pounds of the canned pasta product. The SpaghettiOs recall is not because of any reported illnesses, but was issued “out of an abundance of caution.” Three types of SpaghettiOs are included in the recall, all because they may contain undercooked meats.
SpaghettiOs recall products
The three products included in the SpaghettiOs recall are all 14.75-ounce cans, stamped with the code EST 4K and a “use by” date between June 2010 and December 2011. The three products are:
- SpaghettiOs with Meatballs with the product code U5
- SpaghettiOs A to Z with Meatballs with the product code 4N
- SpaghettiOs “Cars” Fun Shapes with Meatballs with the product code KS
Department of Agriculture inspection spurs SpaghettiOs recall
The SpaghettiOs recall is being announced in conjunction with Campbell Soup Company and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service. The FSIS was completing a routine safety inspection of the Campbell warehouse in Paris, Texas when they discovered that some meats in the SpaghettiOs recall were undercooked. Undercooked canned meats can pose a danger of sickness if eaten.
Cost of the SpaghettiOs recall
The cost of any food recall can very quickly and easily run into the millions of dollars. One can of SpaghettiOs usually sells at retail for about 80 cents. Back-of-the-envelope calculations say that at 15 ounces apiece, the company is recalling about 16 million cans of SpaghettiOs. They are offering to refund or replace any SpaghettiOs recalled – which puts just the product cost at $12.8 million, retail. Add onto that the cost of announcing, administering and recovering from the recall. In other words, one malfunctioning cooker that was not repaired in almost 18 months will cost the company $13 million or more. The company’s stock has also been steadily losing value today, though until today it was recovering well from the 2009 stock market fall.
What to do if you are affected by the SpaghettiOs recall
If you have SpaghettiOs on recall, then return them to the store where they were purchased. The store should give you a full replacement or refund. You can also call the Campbell’s hotline at 866-495-3774 for more information.
