The parent company of Stouffer's and Lean Cuisine reports "one potential choking incident" leading to Monday's recall announcement.
Frozen Meals Recalled by Iconic Brand at Walmart, Kroger, and More
Published on Mar. 17, 2025
Editor’s note: This article was updated Tuesday, March 18 to include new recall details provided by Walmart and Kroger, as well as products at other grocers.
Frozen foods have come a long way, with varieties for many diets and less processed ingredients than in decades past. But on Monday, one company that owns two of the biggest names for freezer foods of all time announced a voluntary recall on four products due to the potential presence of “wood-like material.”
On March 17, Nestlé USA announced a recall on a “limited quantity” of Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s frozen meals. The corporation stated they’d received a customer complaint of what Nestlé called “one potential choking incident.”
The announcement further states the company is “actively investigating” the source of the foreign matter while remaining confident that it’s an isolated issue “and we have taken action to address it.” In addition, they say they’re working in full cooperation with both the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s products were produced between August 2024 and March 2025, then distributed at “major retailers” in the U.S. between September 2024 and March 2025.
Nestlé provided the following details for recalled items:
Lean Cuisine® Butternut Squash Ravioli
Batch Numbers and Corresponding Best Before Dates:
- 4261595912 – OCT2025
- 4283595912 – NOV2025
- 4356595912 – JAN2026
- 5018595912 – FEB2026
- 5038595912 – MAR2026
Lean Cuisine® Spinach Artichoke Ravioli
Batch Numbers and Corresponding Best Before Dates:
- 4311595912 – DEC2025
- 5002595912 – FEB2026
- 5037595912 – MAR2026
- 5064595912 – APR2026
Lean Cuisine® Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
Batch Numbers and Corresponding Best Before Dates:
- 4214595511 – SEPT2025
STOUFFER’S® Party Size Chicken Lasagna (96oz)
Batch Numbers and Corresponding Best Before Dates:
- 4262595915 – OCT2025
- 4351595915 – JAN2026
- 5051595915 – MAR2026
- 5052595915 – MAR2026
Updates were published on Tuesday, March 18, both Walmart and Kroger provided additional details on the recall. Walmart lists all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, as affected by the recall.
Meanwhile, Kroger mentioned only the Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli (UPC 13800-14406) and Lean Cuisine Spinach Artichoke Ravioli (UPC 13800-55806) meals in its notice. Mariano’s, Pick n Save, Metro Market, Dillons, Baker’s, Gerbes, King Soopers, City Market, Fry’s, Fred Meyer, Kroger, Ralphs, QFC, and Smith’s stores are all included in the following locations:
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- Auburn, Alabama
- Greater Cincinnati (including Northern Kentucky and Dayton, Ohio plus South Eastern Indiana)
- Central and Northwest Ohio
- Northwestern Virginia panhandle
- Michigan
- Indiana (except SE Indiana, Evansville)
- Illinois
- Eastern Missouri
- Greater Louisville area (including Indiana) and Lexington, Kentucky
- Hopkinsville and Bowling Green, Kentucky
- Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Greater Memphis area, Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Mississippi
- Western Kentucky
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Eastern West Virginia
- Eastern Kentucky
- Southeastern Ohio
- Texas
- Louisiana
Just a few weeks ago, Nestlé issued a separate warning related to a potential choking hazard: Gerber, another Nestlé-owned brand, had to recall 620,165 boxes of Gerber Soothe N Chew Teething Sticks due to reported choking incidents. The FDA recently classified that recall as a Class I, meaning it was “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
Foreign materials in food products have been a common cause in recent recalls: Just last week, Target recalled more than 197,000 cans of green beans due to a “foreign material.” Previously, containers of hummus, yogurt, and Walmart baked goods were all recalled for the same reasoning.
Nestlé said any consumers who have purchased the affected products should not prepare or eat the meals. Instead, they should return the meals to the retailer they originally purchased from for either a replacement or full refund.
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