Elevated risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Stouffer’s Frozen meals recall: Potential Contaminant - Wood

Recall published 1+ years ago

Potential Contaminant - Wood

Stouffer’s Frozen foods — recalled frozen foodsStouffer’s Frozen foods — recalled frozen foods (photo 2)Stouffer’s Frozen foods — recalled frozen foods (photo 3)Stouffer’s Frozen foods — recalled frozen foods (photo 4)
4 photos published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the recall notice.

The hazard: Foreign material — foreign objects

The company found foreign objects in the product, or a customer did. Either way the recall covers every pack from the runs listed, because contamination of this kind is rarely confined to one unit.

What the notice says: Potential Contaminant - Wood

Why it matters: Pieces of foreign objects may be inside the product. The risk here is physical rather than microbial: cuts to the mouth or throat, a broken tooth, or an injury further down if a fragment is swallowed.

Symptoms and when to call a doctor

If someone has swallowed a fragment and has mouth or throat pain, trouble swallowing, chest or stomach pain, vomiting, or blood in saliva or stool, they should be seen the same day. A fragment swallowed without symptoms usually passes on its own, but tell the clinician exactly what the product was: whether it shows up on imaging depends entirely on the material, so describe the product and the notice to them.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you feel unwell, a clinician who can see you is the only person able to judge your case.

Recall details

Published
March 17, 2025
Risk level
Elevated risk
Issued by
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brand
Stouffer’s
Product type
Frozen foods

Products covered by this recall

Frozen meals

What the company announced

ARLINGTON, VA., March 17, 2025 — Nestlé USA is initiating a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of Lean Cuisine® and STOUFFER’S® frozen meals due to the potential presence of wood-like material.

This recall is isolated to a limited quantity of batches of the following items: Lean Cuisine® Butternut Squash Ravioli, Lean Cuisine® Spinach Artichoke Ravioli, Lean Cuisine® Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry, and STOUFFER’S® Party Size Chicken Lasagna that were produced between August 2024-March 2025. These products were distributed at major retailers in the U.S. between September 2024-March 2025. This recall does not involve any other Lean Cuisine® or STOUFFER’S® products .

We are taking this action after consumers contacted Nestlé USA about this issue, including one potential choking incident to date.

Batch codes can be identified on the side of the product packaging. Please utilize reference images below and look for the ten-digit batch code prior to the best before date.

Lean Cuisine® Butternut Squash Ravioli

  • Batch Numbers:: 4261595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: OCT2025
  • Batch Numbers:: 4283595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: NOV2025
  • Batch Numbers:: 4356595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: JAN2026
  • Batch Numbers:: 5018595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: FEB2026
  • Batch Numbers:: 5038595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: MAR2026

Lean Cuisine® Spinach Artichoke Ravioli

  • Batch Numbers:: 4311595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: DEC2025
  • Batch Numbers:: 5002595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: FEB2026
  • Batch Numbers:: 5037595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: MAR2026
  • Batch Numbers:: 5064595912 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: APR2026

Lean Cuisine® Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

  • Batch Numbers:: 4214595511 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: SEPT2025

STOUFFER’S® Party Size Chicken Lasagna (96oz)

  • Batch Numbers:: 4262595915 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: OCT2025
  • Batch Numbers:: 4351595915 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: JAN2026
  • Batch Numbers:: 5051595915 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: MAR2026
  • Batch Numbers:: 5052595915 · Corresponding Best Before Dates:: MAR2026

Consumers who have purchased these products should not prepare or consume the product and should return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a replacement or a full refund. For any further support needed, please contact Nestlé USA at (800) 681-1676 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. EST.

We are actively investigating the source of the wood-like material. We are confident that this is an isolated issue, and we have taken action to address it.

We are working with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on this recall and will cooperate with them fully.

The quality, safety and integrity of our products remain our number one priority. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this action represents to both our consumers and retail customers.

Reproduced from the company announcement posted on fda.gov. Links and contact forms in the original are not repeated here; the official notice below has them.

Check your product

The notice names 23 codes you can read straight off the package. Type the one printed on yours and the list below narrows to it.

Lot or batch code

Usually ink-stamped near the seam, the cap or the bottom of the pack.

  • 4261595912
  • 4283595912
  • 4356595912
  • 5018595912
  • 5038595912
  • 4311595912
  • 5002595912
  • 5037595912
  • 5064595912
  • 4214595511
  • 4262595915
  • 4351595915
  • 5051595915
  • 5052595915

Best-by / use-by date

Printed beside the lot code, not on the price sticker.

  • OCT2025
  • NOV2025
  • JAN2026
  • FEB2026
  • MAR2026
  • DEC2025
  • APR2026
  • SEPT2025. STOUFFER

Package size

Match the net weight or the piece count on the front of the pack.

  • 96 oz

Codes are lifted verbatim from the FDA — Company recall announcements notice. A code that is missing here may still be covered — the official notice is the complete list.

What to do about Foreign material

Stouffer’s — The company found foreign objects in the product, or a customer did. Either way the recall covers every pack from the runs listed, because contamination of this kind is rarely confined to one unit.

  1. Stop eating it, and do not pick through it to find the fragment — sorting it by hand is how people get cut.
  2. Keep the pack if you can. If anyone was hurt, the fragment and the packaging together are the evidence that matters.
  3. Return it to the store or bin it sealed, and claim the refund using the lot code from the label.
  4. Check the freezer and the pantry for other packs carrying the same codes before you consider the matter closed.

Refunds, and what else you can claim

The purchase price is the floor, not the ceiling. Where a recall caused you a real cost, say so.

  • Claim the refund at the store first; it is the fastest route and needs the least paperwork.
  • If you bought several packs over time, list them. Firms routinely settle for more than a single unit when a customer asks.
  • Medical costs, lost earnings or a spoiled event are not handled at the service desk. Write to the company contact on this page instead, with dates and documents.
  • Keep copies of everything you send. If a recall caused harm, that file is what any later claim rests on.

Remedy named in the notice: Consumers who have purchased these products should not prepare or consume the product and should return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a replacement or a full refund.

Company contact: Nestle USA — Consumers: Nestle USA, (800) 681-1676

The official notice

This page summarises a notice published by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency notice is the authoritative version — read it before you act, and treat it as the final word if anything here looks different.

Open the FDA — Company recall announcements record U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls

Questions people ask about this recall

Why was Stouffer’s frozen foods recalled?

Potential Contaminant - Wood Potential Contaminant - Wood

How do I know if I have the recalled product?

Match the codes printed on your package against the notice: lot code 4261595912, 4283595912, 4356595912; best-by date OCT2025 or NOV2025. If the code on your package is not on that list, your unit is outside the recall.

What should I do with it right now?

Stop eating it, and do not pick through it to find the fragment — sorting it by hand is how people get cut.

Can I get my money back?

The notice says: Consumers who have purchased these products should not prepare or consume the product and should return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a replacement or a full refund.

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