Chicken of the Sea Sardines Recall: Mislabeling Hazard
Chicken of the Sea recalls specific sardine cans due to incorrect labeling. Check your pantry for affected lots and UPCs.
Use caution until it’s fixed
It was discovered that one batch of sardines were incorrectly labeled - Sardines in Water instead of Sardines in Tomato sauce.
Contact the company
What happened, in plain English
Chicken of the Sea is recalling a small batch of Sardines in Water because they were incorrectly labeled as being in water when they actually contain tomato sauce. This mislabeling poses an allergy risk to consumers with seafood or specific ingredient sensitivities who might not expect the presence of tomato sauce. The recall affects approximately 125 cases containing 2,260 cans distributed across several western and southern U.S. states. Read more at govinfonow.com/recall/16186-chicken-of-the-sea-sardines-recall-mislabeling-hazard.
Source Summary by GovInfoNow · govinfonow.com/recall/16186-chicken-of-the-sea-sardines-recall-mislabeling-hazard · Updated October 11, 2026 · FDA enforcement record: FDA #F-0444-2020
Cite this page
“Chicken of the Sea Sardines Recall: Mislabeling Hazard.” GovInfoNow, updated October 11, 2026. https://govinfonow.com/recall/16186-chicken-of-the-sea-sardines-recall-mislabeling-hazard. Based on FDA recall #F-0444-2020 (https://api.fda.gov/food/enforcement.json?search=recall_number:%22F-0444-2020%22&limit=1).
Why it’s dangerous
The primary danger is an undeclared allergen or ingredient mismatch. Consumers expecting plain sardines in water may unknowingly consume sardines in tomato sauce, which can trigger allergic reactions or adverse health responses in sensitive individuals.
Who’s affected
Consumers in Oregon, California, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, and Tennessee who purchased the specific recalled sardine cans are affected. Individuals with allergies to seafood or tomato sauce are at the highest risk due to the potential for unexpected ingredient exposure.
How to tell if you have this one
Look for Chicken of the Sea Sardines in Water cans with a net weight of 3.75 oz (106g) and UPC 0 48000 00707 0 18. Check the can marking for batch number 0001373785-12, PL 22151118 WE, and a 'Best If Used by' date of Jan-09-22.
- Brand
Chicken of the Sea- Product
Chicken of the Sea Sardines in Water; Net Wt. 3.75 oz. (106g) UPC 0 48000 00707 0 18 Individual items per case- Category
Food
What to do — step by step
Check Your Pantry
Inspect your sardine cans for the specific UPC, batch number, and best-by date listed in the recall notice.
Stop Consumption
Do not eat the product if it matches the recalled criteria to avoid potential allergic reactions from the undeclared tomato sauce.
Where it went and when
Where it was distributed
Distributed in 9 states.
FDA distribution: “OR, CA, WA, NV, UT, CO, AZ, ID, TN.” States read from FDA’s own wording; “not listed” means the notice does not name it.
States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington.
Recall timeline
FDA terminated this recall 7 months after the firm started it.
- Firm started the recall
- FDA classified it Class III
- Published in FDA’s Enforcement Report
- FDA terminated the recall
Dates from the agency record only; steps without a date are left out.
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Where this comes from
The facts (hazard, remedy, dates, manufacturer) are pulled from the official FDA recall record. The plain-language summary and step-by-step checklist are written by GovInfoNow to make the official notice easier to act on — they don’t replace it.
- Official source: FDA Recall #F-0444-2020 (December 4, 2019) — FDA publishes no per-recall page; this is the official machine-readable enforcement record. Search FDA recalls for F-0444-2020 to see it in context.
- Plain-language summary written by qwen3.6:35b-a3b on October 11, 2026, from the official record above. Not reviewed by a person — if it conflicts with the FDA notice, the notice is correct. Report an error on this page.
- GovInfoNow is an independent service and is not a government agency. We republish official FDA recall data; we don’t issue, amend or administer recalls.