USDA warns of “high risk” as Hormel pulls canned beef stew with wood fragments nationwide”

• Hormel Foods recalls 256,185 pounds of Dinty Moore Beef Stew due to wood fragments, posing severe choking and injury risks.
• The USDA classifies it as a “High-Class I” recall, meaning serious harm or death is possible.
• Three consumers reported finding wood in the stew, although no injuries are confirmed yet.
• This follows a trend of foreign objects in processed foods, including Nestlé and Cargill recalls earlier this year.
• Ultraprocessed foods like Dinty Moore are linked to serious health risks, with 70% of the U.S. food supply being ultraprocessed.

In yet another shocking example of corporate food suppliers failing to protect consumers, Hormel Foods Corporation has been forced to recall 256,185 pounds of its Dinty Moore Beef Stew after wood fragments were discovered in the product, posing a severe choking and internal injury hazard.

The recall, announced by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), affects 20-oz. cans manufactured on February 4, 2025, with a February 2028 expiration date and lot code T02045. The contaminated stew was shipped to retailers nationwide, meaning unsuspecting families could still have these dangerous cans sitting in their pantries.

This isn’t just another food recall; it’s a glaring indictment of the industrial food complex that prioritizes profits over safety while pumping consumers full of chemical-laden, ultraprocessed garbage. How many toxic preservatives and artificial additives are lurking in a product that can sit on a shelf for three years? And now, thanks to corporate negligence, consumers must also worry about wood shards piercing their throats or intestines.

What is a “High-Class I” recall?

The USDA classified this recall as “High-Class I,” its most severe designation, reserved for cases where there’s a “reasonable probability” of serious injury or death. The recall was triggered after three consumers reported finding wooden pieces in their stew. While no injuries have been confirmed, the risks are undeniable. Wood fragments can cause choking, lacerations, or internal damage, especially in children and the elderly.

Hormel, a Fortune 500 company, claims it acted “out of an abundance of caution,” but this is the same corporation that has repeatedly faced recalls and violations. In a statement to The Epoch Times, Hormel downplayed the incident, saying only 17,080 cases were affected and no other Dinty Moore products were involved. But how many more undetected contaminants are slipping through the cracks in their factory lines?

A disturbing trend of foreign objects in processed foods

This recall is not an isolated incident. In recent months, federal agencies have issued multiple warnings about food contaminated with wood, plastic, and metal. In March, Nestlé USA recalled frozen meals (including Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s) due to “wood-like material” contamination; one incident reportedly led to a choking scare. In April, Cargill Meat Solutions flagged pork carnitas for possible metal shards, while Johnsonville LLC recalled 22,600 pounds of cheddar bratwurst over hard plastic contamination.

These cases reveal a systemic failure in food safety oversight. While the USDA touts “routine inspections,” the reality is that corporate self-reporting is often the only thing standing between consumers and potentially lethal contaminants.

The hidden dangers of ultraprocessed foods

Beyond foreign objects, canned and processed foods like Dinty Moore Beef Stew are nutritional nightmares. A May 2024 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that ultraprocessed foods—loaded with synthetic additives, stabilizers, and preservatives—are linked to higher risks of premature death, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Researchers estimate that 70% of the U.S. food supply is ultraprocessed, with the average American diet consisting of 55% such products. Yet companies like Hormel continue pushing these lab-concocted meals onto store shelves, unconcerned about the long-term health consequences—or the occasional wooden surprise.

This recall is a wake-up call for consumers to reject processed foods and demand transparency from Big Food. If a Fortune 500 company can’t keep wood chips out of its products, what else is slipping through?

The Trump administration’s USDA recently announced $14.5 million in additional funding for state meat and poultry inspections, which is a step in the right direction. But until corporate greed is reined in and real food replaces chemical-laden sludge, recalls like this will keep happening.

Your health is not a corporate afterthought. Ditch the cans, shop local, and cook fresh. Because when it comes to food safety, trusting Hormel could be a deadly mistake.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Newsweek.com

CBSNews.com

CNN.com