New Seasons Pizza Sauce recall: Reason, production date, and all you need to know

"New Seasons Pizza Sauce" is part of a public health alert issued by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) over undeclared allergens and mislabeling concerns. It is feared that the pizza sauce has been distributed in mislabeled packages that may contain fully cooked, ready-to-eat (RTE) pasta sauce and not the expected pizza sauce.

The ready-to-eat (RTE) pasta sauce that may have been wrongfully distributed in the packaging of pizza sauce contains allergens like anchovies and milk, which are not declared on the product label.

Consumption of the affected products poses severe to life-threatening risks to people allergic to milk and anchovies allergens. The pasta sauce is also known to contain beef and sulfites, neither of which are declared on the packages.

FSIS has discovered that the affected New Seasons Pizza Sauce products are no longer available for purchase. Hence, a recall has not been issued for them. But considering that many customers may have already bought the affected products and some may still have them in their pantry, the United States FSIS is issuing this public health alert to inform consumers about the presence of the undeclared allergens.

The problem was discovered when a customer reported the presence of meat in the pizza sauce. Further investigations suggested that wrongful labeling was caused due to human error. Currently, neither the company nor the FSIS has received reports of any adverse reactions or casualties caused due to the consumption of the affected pizza sauce products.

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All you need to know about New Seasons Pizza Sauce recall

The public health alert issued by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on February 23 affects all packs of New Seasons Pizza Sauce available to customers nationwide.

The wrongfully labeled pizza sauce items were produced on January 25, 2023, and may have the same date printed on the packs. Packed in a 16-oz. tub, the pizza sauce is labeled as “NEW SEASONS BRIGHT & FLAVORFUL HOMESTYLE PIZZA SAUCE with slow-simmered plum tomatoes.”

The affected products come with the ‘best if used by’ date of “3/26/23.” Customers could have bought the affected pizza sauce products from major retail and grocery stores across the country or through online stores.

The affected New Seasons Pizza Sauce packs contain fully cooked, ready-to-eat pasta sauce that has allergens like anchovies and milk along with beef and sulfites (Image via FSIS/ USDA)

Customers who may already have the affected New Seasons Pizza Sauce products in their pantry or refrigerator are advised not to consume them. The affected products must be disposed of safely in a closed bin or returned to the store of purchase for a full refund. Such products can often be returned even without proof of purchase and/or a receipt.

Consumers and health professionals with doubts or queries regarding the public health alert can contact Lana Slezak, Executive Vice President/Founder of Heritage Specialty Foods, LLC, at 503-252-1545, Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm.