WASHINGTON – Parsippany, NJ-based Pinnacle Foods launched a recall of 549,539 lbs. of Armour brand chili products made at the company’s facility in Fort Madison, Iowa. The Food Safety and Inspection Service of the US Dept. of Agriculture said the chili contains monosodium glutamate (MSG) that was not declared on the product label.

The company discovered the problem after receiving new product labels in September 2015. The new labels no longer listed MSG. But Pinnacle continued to use the original seasoning, which does contain MSG. The company held all affected product within its control upon discovery of the discrepancy, FSIS said.


The Armour chili products were produced on various dates in Sept. 2015 and Nov. 2015. Affected items include 14-oz. cans of “Armour Chili No Beans” with Best By Dates:

• Best By SEP-08-18
• Best By SEP-10-18
• Best By SEP-13-18
• Best By SEP-20-18
• Best By SEP-21-18
• Best By SEP-27-18
• Best By SEP-28-18
• Best By NOV-10-18
• Best By NOV-11-18
• Best By NOV-22-18
• Best By NOV-23-18
• Best By NOV-24-18

The affected products bear establishment number “EST. 2AD” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The chili items were shipped to retail locations nationwide.

MSG is a flavor enhancer that the Food and Drug Administration has classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). However, the agency has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. Symptoms are usually mild and include headache, heart palpitations, sweating and chest pain, among other reactions. Currently, researchers have found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and these symptoms.