WASHINGTON– Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., recalled approximately 450 lbs. of beef stew that may be contaminated with extraneous materials according to a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announcement Feb. 10.

The 15-oz. cans are labeled as “Dinty Moore Hearty Meals No Preservative Beef Stew” with a Best By date of Feb. 2019. The FSIS release said that the items were shipped to Kroger stores in Texas and Louisiana and were accessible for sale after Feb. 1. Forty cases were shipped to customers when the discovery was made.

The problem was uncovered by the plant’s normal inspection. Once the items were discovered, Hormel placed the product produced during the timeframe on hold.

“Only this very small amount of product was affected,” Hormel said in a statement. “No reports have been received to date of any consumer injuries or complaints. No other sizes, varieties or other packaging configurations of ‘Dinty Moore Beef Stew’ are included in this recall.”

FSIS recommends that consumers with these cans either throw them away or return them to the store.