Shoppers who picked up a bagged barbecue salad at H-E-B should check the fridge. Taylor Farms has recalled the H-E-B Backyard BBQ Chop Salad Kit in Texas because it may contain soy and almonds that are not listed on the label.
The affected kit weighs 13.4 ounces and carries a Best If Used By date of October 30, 2026. That date has passed, but a forgotten kit can still be sitting in a refrigerator drawer.
How to Spot the Recalled Kit
According to the FDA recall notice, the recalled product is the H-E-B Backyard BBQ Chop Salad Kit, 13.4 ounces, sold in a plastic bag. Its UPC is 041220300457, and the Best If Used By date is October 30, 2026.
Taylor Farms of Dallas, Texas, is the recalling company, and the kits were distributed to H-E-B stores in Texas. Both the company announcement and the FDA posting are dated October 27, 2026, as reported by Food Safety News.
A quick check takes less than a minute. Look for the 13.4-ounce size, find the UPC printed near the barcode and compare the date stamped on the bag with October 30.
What Is Undeclared in the Kit
The FDA notice says the kit may contain soy and tree nuts, specifically almonds, that are not declared on the label. Texas Public Radio reported on October 28 that packages may contain allergens not listed on the packaging, and the outlet did not identify which ingredient or step caused the mistake.
The company says people with a soy or tree nut sensitivity or allergy may be at risk of a serious adverse reaction. No adverse reactions have been reported to date, according to the notice and Food Safety News.
Wikipedia’s food allergy entry explains why labels matter. Under the 2004 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, packaged foods regulated by the FDA must disclose whether they intentionally contain any of eight major allergens, a list that includes tree nuts and soy. Sesame became the ninth required allergen under a 2021 law, effective January 1, 2023.
How Allergen Labels Work
Wikipedia’s entry adds that manufacturers can name an allergen’s source in parentheses within the ingredient list, or add a separate “Contains” statement next to it. “May contain” statements for trace cross-contact are optional, and no law requires declaring trace amounts.
That is what makes an undeclared ingredient notable. A kit sold without soy or almonds on the label is read as free of them, which is why the recall asks shoppers to set the product aside.
What to Do With the Kit
The FDA notice tells consumers not to eat the product. It says the impacted products should be disposed of or returned to the store for a full refund.
Taylor Farms can be reached at 855-455-0098, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time. Households with a soy or almond allergy can check the fridge for the kit even if nobody ate it, since a bag can be set aside and forgotten.
Shoppers who like tidy kitchens may enjoy these clever kitchen tricks for home cooks.
The same habit of paying attention is useful beyond this recall. A look at kitchen staples grandmothers kept within arm’s reach shows how many cooks built meals from a short list of items they knew well, and a budget-minded set of life hacks can offset the cost of replacing a recalled kit. A handwritten grocery list or a photo of a receipt helps shoppers remember what came home, and Frenzhub’s list of essential items to store in the refrigerator offers a reference for what belongs on the shelves.
Who Makes the Kit and Who Sells It
Taylor Farms was founded in 1995 by Bruce Taylor with a group of partners, according to Wikipedia’s Taylor Farms entry, which places its headquarters in Salinas, California. The company makes fresh-cut fruits and vegetables and bagged salad mixes, and the entry says its products make up about 40 percent of salad kits sold at grocery stores in the United States.
H-E-B is a Texas grocer. Wikipedia’s H-E-B entry says it was founded on November 26, 1905, in Kerrville, Texas, by Florence Butt as Mrs. C. C. Butt’s Staple and Fancy Grocery, and is now headquartered in San Antonio. It lists 455 stores in 2026 across Texas and Mexico.
That Texas-only distribution matters. The FDA notice limits the recall to H-E-B stores in Texas, so shoppers elsewhere do not need to look for this kit.
Why the Recall Date Still Matters
The Best If Used By date of October 30 is printed on the bag so shoppers can identify the recalled lot. It is not a recall deadline, and the FDA notice says the impacted products should be disposed of or returned to the store for a full refund.
Kits bought in the last days of October may have been tucked behind other items, and shoppers who meal-plan for weekends sometimes find a bag days after the date printed on it. A glance at the bag takes a few seconds and settles the question, and Texas Public Radio and Food Safety News both give the same date and UPC to match against.
The Short Version
Check the fridge for an H-E-B Backyard BBQ Chop Salad Kit in the 13.4-ounce bag with UPC 041220300457 and a Best If Used By date of October 30, 2026. If it is there, do not eat it, and either throw it out or take it back to the store for a refund. The FDA notice is the best place to confirm every detail.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Tessa Bury – CC BY 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
