Condiment Recalls That Affected Millions

Yahoo

25-02-2025

Condiments are the definition of small but mighty, transforming dry or average meals into flavorful feasts with minimal effort. While plenty of us have passionate opinions on our favorite (and least favorite) condiment -- ask any large group of people who does or doesn't like mayonnaise, and you'll see what we mean -- the average refrigerator is home to at least a handful of the biggest names in the game, such as ketchup, barbecue sauce, and mustard.
It's this prevalence that makes condiment recalls some of the most frustrating of the bunch. While all food recalls are inconvenient, the fact that condiments are one of the great culinary equalizers, tucked away in the vast majority of kitchens and pantries across the globe, means that they have the potential to wreak even more havoc should a food safety issue be uncovered. And let's just say that plenty of issues have been uncovered in the past. From salmonella and botulism panics to foreign objects that snuck their way into our favorite sauces, here are some of the worst condiment recalls to hit the food industry over the years.
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In January 2024, Ventura Foods dropped the news of a recall that exclusively impacted the Florida-based grocery store chain Publix. Tubs of Carolina-Style Mustard BBQ Sauce sold at its delis in stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia were pulled from shelves after it was discovered that they actually contained a different product entirely.
Instead of Carolina-Style Mustard BBQ Sauce, customers were at risk of picking up Traditional Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce. For the vast majority of customers, this may not have posed anything more than a slight annoyance. However, for those with a fish allergy, it potentially posed a much more serious issue as the Traditional Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce contained anchovies, which wasn't declared on the packaging. Luckily, there were no reports of any illness, but for the sake of safety, customers were encouraged to throw away any packets or return them to their local store as soon as possible.
Salmonella is one of the arch-nemeses of the food industry -- the Thanos to the FDA's Avengers, if you will. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.35 million Americans contract illness from the bacteria every single year, causing 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths. Unsurprisingly, that means authorities are pretty hot on locking down any further risk of outbreaks, which is exactly what sparked a mass mustard recall in December 2024.
This affected two lines of mustard: Keith Valley and Red Boy mustard. After mustard seeds used during production tested positive for salmonella, customers who had purchased either product in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, or Arkansas were urged to check if they matched the selected lot codes, and then immediately discard any affected condiments. Just over a month later, this recall was defined as Class III, meaning it was unlikely to cause any adverse health issues. However, when it comes to salmonella, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Botulism is rare but extremely dangerous. Triggered by a bacteria known as clostridium botulinum -- yes, the same stuff that tackles wrinkles under the name Botox -- it's an illness that attacks the nervous system and causes symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, drooping eyelids, and trouble speaking, breathing, or swallowing. If left untreated, it can even prove deadly, with WHO reporting that 5% to 10% of cases are fatal.
Sadly, this occurred in Saudi Arabia in May 2024 after the restaurant chain Hamburgini unwittingly served a mayonnaise product called BON TUM that was contaminated with the bacteria. While the mayo was swiftly recalled, 75 people were hospitalized -- with at least 11 receiving intensive care -- across Riyadh, while one customer died. All remaining products were destroyed and other restaurants using the condiment notified to do the same with their own stock. Operations were also paused at the factory responsible for producing the affected mayonnaise.
A significant chunk of food recalls are initiated not because a product is inherently dangerous or burdened with some kind of contamination but due to tiny logistical errors at some point during production. Case in point: In 2024, Wilderbee Gochujang Hot Honey was recalled in the U.K. purely because one of its ingredient suppliers notified WilderKitchen that it had failed to declare gluten in select batches.
Once again, this didn't pose a risk to everyone who drizzled Wilderbee Gochujang Hot Honey -- which prides itself on being the first product of its kind in the U.K. -- on their fried chicken. For customers with celiac disease or a gluten allergy, however, accidentally consuming gluten can very much be dangerous. Those with celiac disease run the risk of damaging the lining of their small intestine with even a small amount of gluten, which impacts the body's ability to absorb nutrients. For the sake of total security, WilderKitchen recalled all batches up to a certain number, and notified allergy support organizations to amplify the notice to its members.
Chick-fil-A may get its name from its chicken, but real fans know that the true magic lies in its sauces. In March 2024, however, the beloved fast-food chain issued customers with an urgent request to ditch any remaining packets of one flavor after realizing that there had been a mishap during production.
Sharing a notice on its website and app, Chick-fil-A encouraged customers to throw out their Polynesian sauce ASAP as some of these dipping cups mistakenly contained Sriracha sauce. Unlike the Polynesian sauce, this contains wheat and soy, meaning it posed a potential allergen risk. Chick-fil-A discovered the issue after one of its suppliers, T. Marzetti Co., raised the alarm over mislabeled sauce packets. These were distributed across a whopping 27 states between February 14 and February 27, 2024, meaning a significant number of customers had likely been exposed to the Polynesian-Sriracha debacle during this timeframe. To this day, it remains one of just a handful of recalls to hit Chick-fil-A in the chain's history.
While a huge number of people outgrow their soy allergies, it's still considered one of the Big Eight allergens in the U.S. That makes any undeclared soy allergens a big enough deal to trigger a mass recall, as was the case for Seed Ranch Flavor Co. in 2022.
The company -- which specializes in plant-based, gourmet flavors -- voluntarily recalled both its Umami Everyday Sauce, Savory Spice Umami Everyday Sauce, and its Everything But The Sushi & Dumplings sauce in May of that year. Despite the fact that all three products contained soy, no declaration of this kind was made on the bottles. This was attributed to a temporary issue during the production process after a label redesign. While the sauces had already been distributed in multiple retail stores and via both Amazon and the Seed Ranch Flavor Co. website, fortunately, no illnesses were attributed to the mishap.
Mislabeling lay at the center of yet another recall in 2017. This time, the packaging for Wish-Bone Ranch Salad Dressing accidentally contained Wish-Bone Blue Cheese Dressing. With the latter containing eggs (which were not mentioned in the nutritional information for Wish-Bone Ranch Salad Dressing), the company behind the condiment, Pinnacle Foods Group LLC, decided to pull the product from shelves.
It was a customer who first flagged the error, sparking the recall of 8,678 cases of dressing. "Those people who have allergies or severe sensitivity to eggs run the risk of [a] serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product," warned Pinnacle, (via CNN). The good news is that these allergic reactions don't seem to have come to fruition, as no cases of illness were ever linked to the product. However, with experts estimating that roughly 2% of children in the U.S. have an egg allergy, there's no such thing as being too cautious.
Hickory Farms is known for its gourmet food gifts, retailing the kind of products you're more likely to find tucked into a gift basket than sitting on the shelves of your local grocery store. In 2014, anyone who found themselves with a bottle of Chipotle Ranch Sauce was encouraged to contact the company for a refund after Hickory Farms raised the alarm over an allergen error.
While the brand's Chipotle Ranch Sauce contains buttermilk -- something that should typically come with a milk allergen warning -- there was no mention of this anywhere on the bottle. Out of an abundance of caution, Hickory Farms initiated a recall for any bottles of the sauce with a Best If Used By date prior to February 8, 2015. The product was subsequently removed by retailers such as Giant Food Stores and Martin's Food Markets for fear of undeclared milk causing a serious reaction with one of the millions impacted by dairy allergies across the U.S.
Nowadays, Richard's Too Good is a local favorite in Washington State, thanks to its flavorful, all-natural Seattle BBQ Sauce. Over a decade ago, however, the brand was forced to recall this same sauce -- plus its Teriyaki Sauce and Hot Sauce -- over fears it may contain clostridium botulinum. Should this bacteria produce botulinum toxin, it has the ability to cause a botulism outbreak, a rare but dangerous phenomenon that's enough to instill panic in any food company.
As per the recall notice, the clostridium botulinum panic was triggered by a complaint from a customer who suggested the sauce may not have been completely processed. The recall was defined as a Class II incident, which is how the FDA classes situations that may cause "temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences." While that may not be as severe as a Class I recall, where the list of possible outcomes includes death, any level of health hazard warrants erring on the side of caution -- especially if botulism is involved.
Few words are quite as feared in the food industry as "listeria." Just like salmonella and clostridium botulinum, listeria is a bacteria that can cause a mostly rare (but sometimes very serious) infection if consumed, as proven by 2024's deadly Boar's Head listeria outbreak. With that in mind, the decision for Ken's Foods, Inc. to initiate a recall in 2012 was a no-brainer.
Having been alerted to the fact that the onions it used to produce several sauces -- including Golden Corral Tartar Sauce, Dickey's BBQ Bean Sauce, Lee's Cole Slaw Dressing, and Ken's Tartar Sauce -- were potentially contaminated with listeria, the company pulled all six of the affected products. The products in question had been distributed across 16 states by the time the recall was announced. This followed a similarly urgent recall from the onion supplier itself, Gill's Onions.
Unpleasant though they may be, the vast majority of infections are minor. But for those considered vulnerable, such as babies, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems, the infections can prove dangerous, even fatal. Listeria has also been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage and premature labor in pregnant people. Quick responses are key to limiting its impact, with the lack of illnesses attributed to these sauces proving the effectiveness of food safety protocols.
In July 2007, state and local health departments kickstarted an investigation amid reports of suspected botulism. Four patients across Texas and Indiana reported eating Castleberry's Hot Dog Chili Sauce prior to falling ill, with testing later making a match between botulinum toxin type A found in one patient and that identified in leftover sauce at his home. What followed was a swift recall of three Castleberry's products. It was concluded that issues with the canning process at a facility in Georgia had led to contamination of the sauce, making it the first botulism incident of its kind in a commercial canning facility in approximately 30 years. This same cannery subsequently closed for good in November 2008.
As a fifth patient fell ill in California and two more contracted botulism in Hawaii, recalls were later expanded to 91 types of canned chili sauce as well as chili, dog food, and various other meat products, including those sold under brand names such as Austex, Kroger, and Piggly Wiggly. Botulism is, as we said, extremely rare. However, if you do ever spot a can that appears to be bulging or bloated, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends double-bagging it and taking it directly to the nearest trash can, for everyone's safety.
Heinz is one of the biggest names in the condiments business, but it still fell foul of a major recall in March 2005. As a scandal erupted over the dangers of Sudan I -- a red industrial dye and a suspected carcinogen that's typically used to color the likes of gasoline, solvents, and shoe polish -- the company rushed to pull all of a significant number of products from the market in China.
The decision to initiate the recall came after the dye was found in a pepper sauce made by Heinz subsidiary Heinz Meiweiyuan Food Co. While the full list wasn't released, six products were reportedly impacted, spanning chilli sauces, oils, and extracts. Customers were encouraged to return any of the products involved, with Heinz Meiweiyuan promising compensation to those affected.
In the wake of nationwide inspections, China Daily reported that a total of 60,624 bottles of pepper oil, 119.4 kilograms of pepper extract, 66,636 bottles of pepper sauce, 713.9 kilograms of pepper powder, 1,800 bottles of red vinegar, and 34,155 bottles of seafood sauce were sealed by the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Quality Supervision. Supermarkets were also ordered to stop selling pepper-related sauce and oil products manufactured by Heinz, making this one of the heftier recalls on this list.
The same Sudan I scare that triggered a mass recall in China made its own impact in the U.K. In what was then described as Britain's largest-ever food recall, the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) initially issued a notice for 350 products in February 2005. This list swelled to 580 less than a month later as the FSA rushed to withdraw any products potentially containing the chemical from the market.
Sudan I had long since been banned in the European Union (which, at the time, still included the U.K.) after studies linked it to liver and bladder cancer in rats. However, suspicions were later raised about its lingering presence in the food industry after French authorities found Sudan I in chili powder. We won't attempt to list all 580 impacted products here, but a significant number were products made with Worcester sauce manufactured by Premier Foods with the same powder. As per the FSA, contaminated food had reportedly been consumed by the public for 16 months.
Across the pond, the same recall led to the withdrawal of 120,000 bottles of Crosse and Blackwell Worcester sauce from the U.S. and Canada. Food companies in the likes of Ireland, France, the Netherlands, the Caribbean, Switzerland, and Malta were also impacted, having purchased Worcester sauce -- which is better known in the U.K. as Worcestershire sauce -- from Premier Foods.
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