The reason is possible botulism contamination, despite vacuum-sealed packaging.
2 Popular Soup Products Have Been Recalled in 5 States
Published on Mar. 17, 2025
The food industry trade website Just Food notes that when StarKist tuna innovated beyond traditional canned packaging to the vacuum-seal pouch in 2000, it was considered to be a major food innovation. The “fresher-tasting and firmer” product was the result of “shorter cooking and processing,” with taste-testers at that time preferring the vacuum-sealed product to canned tuna five to one. “We believe this fresh new idea will transform the tuna category,” said StarKist’s managing director at that time.
The slimmer, space-economical packaging that helped minimize metallic flavor and need for draining went on to transform well beyond the tuna category, with foods like beans, ethnic entrees featuring vegetables, and soups following suit. One of those, however, highlights a possible shortcoming with that packaging approach as the FDA issued a weekend recall on behalf of a Pacific Northwest seafood company.
Washington-state based Seabear Smokehouse is recalling their Smoked Salmon Chowder and Alehouse Clam Chowder products due to potential contamination with Clostridium botulinum, or botulism. The FDA’s announcement, dated Saturday, March 15, calls Clostridium botulinum “a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death.” They add: “Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled.”
Both products were sold in 12-ounce packages with the following details:
SeaBear Smokehouse Salmon Chowder
- UPC 0 34507 07001 3
- Expiration dates between October 2028 and January 2029
SeaBear Smokehouse Alehouse Clam Chowder
- UPC 0 34507 07021 1
- Expiration dates between June 2028 and January 2029
Customers who purchased or received the product can report to the manufacturer through the contact details listed in the FDA recall link.
The notice specifies the products reached consumers through home delivery or retail locations in Alaska, California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington between October 1, 2024 and March 14, 2025.
The company launched an investigation into the product “after they became aware of a pouch seal issue from a customer complaint. Upon further investigation,” the notice reads, “they identified a mechanical issue with equipment, which caused seals to not fully bond and made some pouches leak.” They say no illnesses have been reported to date.
The World Health Organization explains that botulism “produces dangerous toxins under low-oxygen conditions” and that botulinum toxins “block nerve functions and can lead to respiratory and muscular paralysis.”
SeaBear is a seafood distributor shipping direct to subscriber. The brand has been featured by such outlets as the New York Post, Mashed, Forbes, and Thrillist.
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