It comes down to one flavorful ingredient that may contain foreign material. Now the reach may be national.
8 Popular Salsa Products at National Supermarkets Affected in a Produce Recall
Published on Apr. 24, 2025
As summer produce season approaches, one of the most impressive entertaining flexes is to chop those fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, and herbs for guests to dip tortilla chips straight into homemade salsa. (Wow them even more with oven-warmed chips and a light sprinkle of salt.) But if you opt for a store-bought version instead, we won’t tell—salsa is a smart buy even for shoppers who study the ingredients list because the natural acid content means that many salsa products on shelves contain few, if any, preservatives.
But a questionable issue with an ingredient has surfaced for a widely distributed salsa company. After Campbell’s and other soup brands were named in a USDA alert over a similar concern two weeks ago, now, the reported presence of wood in cilantro has prompted another product alert: This time in jarred (technically, tubbed) salsas found in popular supermarkets.
On Thursday, Costco’s website provided a linked notice from Frobright Salsary, LLC, doing business as San Juan Salsa Co., whose site suggests their products are sold in plastic tub-style containers. In the notice, the salsa company indicates one of their suppliers, SupHerb Farms in Turlock, California, has identified an issue with one lot of large-cut cilantro, which may be “contaminated with small wood particles from a crop previously grown in the field.”
The event appears to be in connection to a larger SupHerb Farms cilantro recall, made public by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this week. The SupHerb website indicates they provide herbs, vegetables, and more for both foodservice (such as restaurants and other service establishments) and the production of grocery products.
In addition to Costco, San Juan Salsa Co. salsas appear to be sold in a variety of retail locations—including Fred Meyer and Safeway stores—in the Northwest U.S. and Alaska, per the company’s website.
The affected lot of cilantro was reportedly used in San Juan Salsa Co. products produced between December 19, 2024 and March 17, 2025. The SupHerb cilantro has been voluntarily recalled, but the San Juan Salsa Co.’s memo does not fully say whether they are officially recalling their salsa products. The salsa company says they’ve determined that “no current product is involved in this voluntary recall from SupHerb” based on a review of manufacturing records.
Though many of the “Best Before” dates have already passed, some are still active and the salsa products could possibly be in consumers’ homes. The listed product details and Best Before dates are:
- Mild Salsa; Best Before: March 3 to May 23, 2025
- Medium Salsa; Best Before: February 27 to May 22, 2025
- Hot Salsa; Best Before: March 3 to May 23, 2025
- Traditional Salsa; Best Before: January 29 to April 23, 2025
- Pineapple Mango Salsa; Best Before: March 24 to May 23, 2025
- Verde Salsa; Best Before: January 21 to April 14, 2025
- Mens Room Roasted Red Salsa; Best Before: March 18 to May 22, 2025
- Costco 32 oz. Medium Salsa; Best Before: February 27 to May 22, 2025
The San Juan Salsa Co.’s notice says they have had “no issues with the product it has purchased from SupHerb to date,” noting that SupHerb has been a long-time supplier for the company and undergoes annual third-party food safety audits and product specifications.
Additionally, the salsa company “believes its internal manufacturing process eliminates the potential for wood particles to be contained as the result of cilantro being utilized in its products” and says they have not currently received any notices or complaints regarding the affected products.
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