Sun Noodle has recalled 134 packages of its Sura Tanmen Hot and Sour Flavor Premium Japanese Noodles & Soup Base after discovering that some kits were accidentally packed with a fish-based soba sauce instead of the intended soup base. The affected 15.4-ounce kits, marked with lot code 1226183 and UPC 085315054108, were sold exclusively in Hawaii, and the state's health department is warning anyone with a fish allergy not to eat the product.
According to Maui Now, the Sura Tanmen package label does not indicate the presence of fish, even though the soba sauce soup base packed inside contains it. The Hawai‘i Department of Health Food and Drug Branch alerted residents to the recall, warning that a fish allergy or severe sensitivity may cause a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction after consuming or being exposed to the product. The recall was traced to a single packaging production run after a consumer inquiry tipped off the company, according to Food Poisoning Bulletin, which also reported that the affected kits were distributed between July 9 and July 29.
Where the Recalled Kits Were Sold
The recalled kits reached a specific list of Oahu retailers, including H Mart Kakaako, Marukai Wholesale Mart, Nijiya Market, Don Quijote locations, and Times Supermarket, per Maui Now's report. The same outlet's reporting, drawn from the retail distribution list, also names Don Don Donki in Kapolei, Tokyo Central, Suisan Company, and Roy's Restaurant at Ko Olina as locations that received the product, per Food Poisoning Bulletin.
Food safety tracking service FreshRecall designated the recall as Class I, the FDA's most urgent hazard classification, reserved for situations where exposure carries a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death. The Hawaii health department reports no illnesses or adverse events have been linked to the recalled product so far.
What to Do If You Bought One
The Food and Drug Branch is advising consumers to check their kits against the listed UPC and lot codes before use. Consumers should not open or eat the recalled product if anyone in the household has a fish allergy, and anyone who is fish-allergic and has already been exposed to or consumed it should notify their healthcare provider. Anyone showing signs of anaphylaxis should receive an epinephrine autoinjector immediately and call 911, since anaphylaxis can narrow the airway and block breathing and requires immediate medical care.
Consumers can return the recalled product to their place of purchase for a full refund. For additional questions, Sun Noodle can be reached by phone at 808-841-5808, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Hawaii time, or by email at [email protected]. The health department says it is following up with local stores to confirm the recalled product is no longer available for sale.
A Familiar Problem for the Noodle Maker
This is not the first time Sun Noodle has run into undeclared allergen trouble. In May 2024, the company voluntarily recalled 37,158 cases of frozen S&S Cup Saimin distributed across Hawaii and western states after routine checks found undeclared egg white powder in the fishcake garnish, according to a release from Governor Josh Green, M.D., and the Hawaii Department of Health. Nearly a decade earlier, in January 2018, Sun Noodle pulled retail Tonkotsu Ramen made at its New Jersey plant after Assari Shoyu flavor packets containing undeclared sardines were mistakenly packed into Tonkotsu-labeled boxes, per a notice from the Defense Logistics Agency.
Sun Noodle traces its roots to 1981, when Japanese immigrant Hidehito Uki founded the company in Honolulu with a single noodle machine. It has since grown into an international manufacturer producing more than 250,000 servings of fresh noodles daily out of factories in Hawaii, California, and New Jersey, supplying national chains like David Chang's Momofuku and Morimoto as well as grocery retailers, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.
Undeclared Allergens Remain the Top Recall Trigger Nationwide
The Sura Tanmen mistake fits a broader national pattern. Undeclared allergens remained the leading cause of FDA food recalls in early 2026, accounting for 57 individual recall events in the first quarter alone, per data from TraceGains; in 2025, undeclared allergens drove 115 FDA recalls, or 45.8% of all FDA food recall events that year. Federal law, including the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 and the FASTER Act of 2021, requires packaged foods to explicitly list nine major allergens in plain language, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Severe food allergic reactions send an estimated 30,000 people to emergency rooms and cause roughly 2,000 hospitalizations and 150 deaths annually nationwide, per FDA data.
Hawaii has seen its own run of allergen-related recalls in recent months. In February, Maui confectioner Taste of Maui Snacks pulled its Tiki Bar Candy over an undeclared peanut in its allergen statement, with the state agency conducting follow-up inspections with local retailers after the voluntary recall.
