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Popular Mexican Food Brand Recalls Their Salsa in 5 States — Warning Consumers of Wood Pieces

The Mexican brand's recall came moments after it was distributed into several parts of the country. The FDA is yet to classify the food product.

BY TIYASA BISWAS

PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO

A person eating Nachos with salsa. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | RDNE Stock Project)

In today’s state of affairs, fresh means contaminated in the food industry. Most consumers fall prey to the misleading labels of “organic” and “low-calorie” on food products sold in the retail industry. Manufacturers are dishonest with the labels and use them as a marketing strategy to affect consumer choices, as per Healthline. For instance, breakfast cereals like Cocoa Puffs are high in sugar despite the labels indicating otherwise. Similarly, MegaMex Foods LLC, a Mexican food brand, has recalled its salsa product from 5 states in the U.S. The reason? The food product may contain wood pieces stemming from a recalled ingredient called “fresh Cilantro,” as reported by Food Safety News.

Person Pouring Salsa in a Ceramic Bowl. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Los Muertos Crew)

The Mexican brand, based in Orange, California, is recalling 501 cases of its La Victoria Cilantro Salsa Medium, initiated on April 14, 2025. By the time of the announcement of the recall, the products had been distributed to nine consignees in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Michigan. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet classified the salsa, but it is in the process. Meanwhile, the recall was initiated by the firm after it suspected the salsa could be potentially contaminated with wood pieces in the cilantro.

Photo Of Woman Pushing Cart.(Representative Image Source: Pexels | Hobi industri)

This could be a major health hazard as the wood pieces in the salsa could result in choking, oral injury, or gastrointestinal damage. Any consumer experiencing health issues due to the contamination was advised to seek immediate medical help. However, no illnesses or adversities connected to the product were reported following the recall announcement. Consumers are urged to discard or return the La Victoria Cilantro Salsa to the place of purchase, while shops with the product still stored in pantries are advised not to sell it.

Man Wearing White Shirt Eating Canned Food. (Representative Image source: Pexels | Ron Lach)

The details of the recalled product are: La Victoria Cilantro Salsa, Medium. Description: Net Wt. 15.5 OZ, UPC# 0 72101 34470 3, Distributed by MegaMex Foods, LLC, Orange, CA. Code Information: Best By: Dec 2026. Product Quantity: 501 cases. According to the Healthline report, there are a few measures a consumer may take to avoid buying unhealthy products with misleading labels. Checking the ingredients list is paramount if you are a health-conscious consumer. The first ingredient listed is the most used in the product, and reviewing the first three ingredients will itself indicate if the food item is healthy or not. Refined grains or hydrogenated oils are some of the usual first ingredients of unhealthy products.

Man Asking About a Product to a Seller.(Representative Image Source: Pexels | Kampus Production)

Misleading claims like multigrain, light, natural, low-fat, gluten-free, whole grains, low-carb, and zero trans fat are common. Food manufacturers are clever enough to segregate different types of sugar and list them accordingly to confuse the consumer. Some of the sugar names used are beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered sugar, cane sugar, caster sugar, date sugar, etc. “The nutrition facts label helps you to know whether the front of the label claims really are true or not,” said dietitian and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson Julie Stefanski, RDN. Besides that, the serving sizes are another factor that conceals the unhealthy factor of items. Most people are unable to figure out the accurate measurements of a serving in real life and end up misled by the manufacturers.