Wood in Beef Stew? Missouri, Illinois Alert Issued

This would be a nasty unwelcome surprise. Imagine grabbing a spoonful of beef stew and end up with wood in your mouth. That's what reports are saying about a popular beef stew that's widely available in Missouri and Illinois according to multiple reports.

This alert comes directly from Kroger that says stores in both Missouri and Illinois have Dinty Moore beef stew now under an urgent recall. According to a bulletin from the company, 20 ounce Dinty Moore beef stew with a UPC code of 37600-21583 and a best by date of February 2028 should not be eaten due to what they refer to as the potential presence of a foreign material. MSN is reporting that "foreign substance" is wood. People.com is reporting that this massive recall affects 256,000 pounds of beef stew.

This recall is confirmed by the USDA Food and Inspection Service who also issued an alert. While their bulletin indicated that there have been no injuries reported as of this writing, it also adds that Hormel received numerous customer complaints about finding wood in this stew.

What do you do if you find you have this contaminated stew?

Kroger and the USDA warn not to consumer the product. Kroger mentioned that the recalled stew can be returned to their stores for a refund.