Red Lentil Dal Soup Recalled in Texas for Hidden Allergen — Check Your Pantry
Envision bringing home some cans of your preferred soup from the supermarket. While stocking the cans in your pantry, you take a closer look and realize that the product inside the container doesn't seem to match the label. The soup contains an undeclared allergen, which, if consumed by someone sensitive to it, might lead to life-threatening circumstances. Often known as a labelling blunder, this is exactly what happened in Texas. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, leading food company Bakkavor USA has recently issued a product recall for a soup product of H-E-B's Meal Simple private-label brand. They believe the products are potentially sullied by undeclared milk allergens, as reported by the FDA.
The recall was initiated on December 9, after a customer informed the company that a container labelled as Meal Simple Red Lentil Dal Soup had actually turned out to be a poultry and rice soup. Internal investigation revealed that Meal Simple Turkey & Wild Rice Soup contains milk as an ingredient. The Meal Simple Red Lentil Dal Soup does not include milk as an ingredient, and there are no declarations of milk on the label. The investigation to figure out the root cause is ongoing. Fortunately, to date, no illnesses due to this incident have been reported.
According to the exact details, the recalled product is a 16-ounce Red Lentil Dal Soup featuring a best-by date of 1/11/2026. The product was distributed from November 3 to December 8, 2025, and was available for purchase in H-E-B retail stores located in Texas. Photos shared by H-E-B Newsroom reveal that the product was packaged in a clear plastic container with a ribbed pattern on the mouth and a white lid. A packaging label on the container featured the product name, the brand name, and the label “Indian recipe,” along with the list of ingredients, including red lentils, tomatoes, onions, ginger, serrano peppers, cilantro, and mint. Not milk.
Milk allergy, the Cleveland Clinic explains, is one of the most common forms of food allergies, caused when someone’s immune system is resistant or overreactive to any of the milk proteins. When the person accidentally ingests milk, their immune system activates its defenses and floods the body with chemicals called histamine. An influx of histamine signals your body to pay attention with symptoms like sneezing, itching, stomach acid, and wakefulness. The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology says that 2-3% children less than three are allergic to milk, but almost 80% grow out of it by the time they are 16.
Ingestion of milk can trigger a range of symptoms in someone who is allergic or sensitive, including hives, stomach upset, vomiting, nausea, difficulty breathing and swallowing, wheezing, a drop in blood pressure, and sometimes, life-threatening shock or loss of consciousness. If you have already consumed the recalled product, experts suggest that you visit a doctor. The company urges customers to discard the product or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. For further questions, they can also contact H-E-B Customer Service at 1-855-432-4438 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
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