Pickles Recall Update As FDA Issues Risk Warning
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A recall of several varieties of pickles because of container damage has been classified as having a potentially significant level of risk to consumers in Minnesota by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The reason for the recall last month of Gedney Foods Company's branded pickles was because products "were slated for disposal due to product and container damage, but were inadvertently sold," according to FDA reports.
The recall was classified on Tuesday as a Class II, out of the three possible classes indicating the level of risk to consumers.
Newsweek has contacted Gedney Foods Company outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The classification suggests that use of these products may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, but that the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.
If products are not packaged or sealed properly, it runs the risk that a product's expiration date is no longer accurate, and that the product could become contaminated.
Maintaining packaging standards is important as it can make consumers feel more assured that companies have followed regulatory guidance more closely, and ensured their products are properly manufactured and controlled - particularly when concerns about food recalls are high in the U.S.
File photo: pickles in a jar.
File photo: pickles in a jar.What To Know
The recall was initiated by Gedney Foods Company on June 9, and the FDA released its classification on July 24.
The recalled products include:
Gedney Ghost Pepper LIL Pickles, sized Net 24 fl oz, item number 75802, UPC 0 41660-00758 9, Lot Code 4283
Gedney's Zinger Pickle products, with sizes of Net 24 fl oz:
Zinger Chips, item number 18800, UPC 0 41660-00188 4
Zingers Dill Babies, item number 18600, UPC 0 41660-00186 0, Lot Codes 4218 and 4269
Gedney's Dill Pickle products, in various sizes between Net 16 fl oz and Net 32 fl oz, with the majority of products Net 32 fl oz:
Gedney Whole Pickles, item number 15100, UPC 0 41660-00151 8
Gedney Mini Munchers Kosher Dill, item number 17100, UPC 0 41660-00171 6
Gedney Kosher Dill Babies, item number 17200, UPC 0 41660-00172 3
Gedney Dill Mini Munchers, item number 17300, UPC 0 41660-00173 0
Gedney Dill Babies, item number 18400, UPC 0 41660-00184 6
Gedney Dill Babies, item number 19100, UPC 0 41660-00191 4
Gedney Kosher Dill Babies, item number 19200, UPC 0 41660-00192 1
Gedney Dill Spears, item number 19600, UPC 0 41660- 00196 9
Production and expiration dates of the products were not listed on the FDA's recall notices.
With 3,520 cases, and 12 jars per case, involved in each recall, there is a significant number of products involved - all of which were distributed to consumers in Minnesota.
All products were manufactured in Mexico and distributed by Burnsville-based Gedney Foods Company.
The recall remains ongoing as of July 25, 2025, and no termination date has been set.
What People Are Saying
The FDA said on its website: "Food manufacturers are responsible for marketing safe foods. Ingredients added directly to food and substances that come into contact with food are generally held to the same safety standard—there must be a reasonable certainty of no harm under the conditions of its intended use."
What Happens Next
The FDA recommends that consumers in Minnesota who purchased the recalled Gedney Food Company pickle products check lot numbers against the FDA database and immediately stop consuming these products if affected.
Damaged packaging can increase contamination risk, and even foods that appear safe may pose health hazards. Consumers should follow store return instructions or dispose of the affected items.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
35 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Ice Cream Recalled Nationwide As Warning Issued Over Products
Tropicale Foods, based in Ontario, California, announced on Friday a voluntary recall of select Helados Mexico and La Michoacana ice cream products. The decision followed a label audit which revealed that although the products list "cream," they do not explicitly declare "milk"—that could endanger those allergic to milk. Newsweek contacted the company for comment on Sunday via email outside of usual working hours. Milk is a major allergen under federal labeling laws, and its accidental presence in products poses a risk to consumers with allergies or severe sensitivities. Undeclared ingredients can trigger life-threatening reactions, making accurate labeling a critical public health requirement. The company announcement, published on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s website on Saturday, states: "Tropicale Foods of Ontario, CA is recalling certain Helados Mexico and La Michoacana products with specific best by dates, as detailed below because these products contain undeclared milk. "Though these products include 'cream' in the product ingredient lists, the common name 'milk' is not declared. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products." Affected items include single-flavor offerings (such as Coconut, Strawberry, Bubble Gum, Cookies and Cream, Mango), as well as multi-packs (6‑pack, 12‑pack, 16‑pack varieties). The recalled products are as follows: Photos of the affected products are available on the FDA website. The recall covers a wide range of "best by" dates from May 2026 through July 2027. Distribution spanned retail locations nationwide across the U.S. As of the FDA announcement, one consumer illness has been reported. Consumers with affected items who are allergic or sensitive to milk are advised not to consume the products and to properly dispose of them. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) states on its website: "When a person with a milk allergy is exposed to milk, proteins in the milk bind to specific antibodies made by the person's immune system. This triggers the person's immune defenses, leading to reaction symptoms that can be mild or very severe." Consumers who have the affected product should dispose of and not consume this product if allergic or sensitive to milk, and consult medical advice if symptoms arise. Anyone with queries may contact the company at 909-563-3090 between 8 am and 5 pm Pacific, Monday to Friday. The FDA will continue oversight and monitor any additional consumer reports or updates. Related Articles Is the FDA Doing Enough About Food Additives?Nationwide Ritz Cracker Recall Update as FDA Issues Risk WarningCanned Fruit Recall Sparks Nationwide Warning to CustomersFDA Issues Highest Risk Warning for Tofu Recall 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
Coke with cane sugar may not be that big of a MAHA victory
Coca-Cola is going to offer a cane sugar version of its signature beverage, rather than one sweetened with corn syrup. Major segments of the food industry, including General Mills and Heinz, have pledged to remove certain colored dyes from their products. The fast-food chain Steak 'n Shake is making french fries in beef tallow rather than vegetable oil. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed them all as significant victories for his 'make America healthy again' (MAHA) movement as part of its quest to reform the U.S. food supply. 'Froot Loops is finally following its nose — toward common sense,' Kennedy said on social platform X after cereal-maker WK Kellogg Co. agreed to remove synthetic dyes from its cereal by 2027. 'I urge more companies to step up and join the movement to Make America Healthy Again.' But nutrition and food policy experts say the moves are a far cry from actually making America healthier. While they praised the administration and MAHA for drawing attention to what they said is a broken food system, the victories touted thus far have been largely symbolic and rely on the goodwill of an industry that is eager to appear helpful to avoid strict government regulation. 'I think if we're really curious about improving public health, some of the small health initiatives, like … replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar, are really not where the administration should be channeling their efforts and leveraging the power that they do have,' said Priya Fielding-Singh, director of policy and programs at the George Washington University Global Food Institute. 'I think they should be focusing their efforts on initiatives that actually address the root of the problem, which is essentially a food system that promotes excess sugar, salt and fat,' Fielding-Singh said. Health officials and GOP lawmakers have taken to conservative media in recent weeks to tout the commitments from food and beverage companies to remove synthetic dyes. According to the HHS, nearly 35 percent of the industry has made such a commitment. But there's been no force behind the companies' actions, which experts said is an issue. 'Simply switching from synthetic to natural colors will not make these products less likely to cause obesity,' said Jerold Mande, a former senior official during three administrations at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Agriculture and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, said Kennedy could make a major statement by banning all colors and dyes. It wouldn't directly make Americans healthy, but it would go a long way toward making ultra-processed food look less appealing. 'All this voluntary stuff only goes so far. It really does minimal impact,' Popkin said. 'Unless he goes to the FDA and has the FDA change a regulation … there's nothing.' Kennedy has also singled out the use of high-fructose corn syrup as a major contributor to diabetes and obesity. He has previously called it 'poison,' an epithet he repeated in late April when talking about sugar. When Steak 'n Shake said earlier this month it was going to sell Coca-Cola with real cane sugar, Kennedy praised the move. 'MAHA is winning,' Kennedy posted on X. But experts said there's no substantial difference in the benefits of using cane sugar as a substitute for high-fructose corn syrup. 'At the end of the day, a Coke is still a can of Coke. It's not a fruit or a vegetable, right? And so if you're not shifting consumption away from these higher calorie, lower nutrient processed foods, toward nutrient dense, health promoting foods, then you're not actually going to be shifting the health of Americans in the right direction,' Fielding-Singh said. But if Kennedy thinks sugar is poison, 'they're both sugar and would both be poison, in his words,' said Mande, who is now CEO of Nourish Science. Health officials argue industry cooperation is key to the MAHA agenda. 'Working with industry is the best place to start. And we believe in industry to do the right thing when called upon,' Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz wrote in a joint op-ed in The Wall Street Journal. 'Our agencies are in a strong position to show Americans which companies are doing the right thing when it comes to popular reforms. By the time we're done, we will have built new relationships and be better positioned to hold them accountable,' Makary and Oz wrote. Yet there is plenty the agency can, and should do, that industry has pushed back against. Aviva Musicus, science director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, said MAHA is wasting its political capital. 'It's striking that we haven't seen the administration use policy to improve the food system. It's solely relying on voluntary industry commitments that we've seen repeatedly fail in the past,' Musicus said. 'In pushing the food industry to change, Trump and RFK Jr. have a chance to live up to their promises to fight chronic disease. Coca-Cola is at the table, but they're wasting the opportunity to actually improve health. The administration should focus on less sugar, not different sugar,' Musicus added. Popkin said he would like to see warning labels on ultra-processed foods high in sodium, added sugar and saturated fat. Kennedy 'hasn't tackled ultra-processed food yet. That'll be where he could make an impact on health in the U.S. and all the non-communicable diseases, including obesity. But he hasn't gone there yet,' Popkin said. The coming months will reveal more on the MAHA movement's plans to change how Americans eat. New dietary guidelines will be released 'in the next several months,' Kennedy said recently. In addition, a second MAHA report focused on policy recommendations is expected in August. 'We have to be considering that there could be real potential down the road,' Popkin said. 'But [there's been] nothing yet. That document will tell us if there ever be.'
The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
The FDA must crack down on dangerous knockoff weight-loss drugs
For the first time, there is real hope in the fight against obesity. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics shows that adult obesity rates in the U.S. may finally be flatlining after annual increases since at least 2011. Obesity has long been understood to be the second leading cause of preventable death in America. Neither negative cultural attitudes about weight nor government messaging campaigns about diets have helped curb it. Yet like most insurmountable problems, we are innovating our way out of it. Experts believe a significant part of recent progress is due to powerful new medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, known as GLP-1 drugs. But just as these drugs are changing lives, a dangerous shadow market is growing alongside them. Compounded versions, which are copies of the original drugs made in smaller pharmacies, are flooding websites, med spas and clinics. These versions are often cheaper and easier to get than the real thing. They are also frequently untested, poorly regulated and, in many cases, illegal. The FDA has received more than 500 reports of serious side effects tied to compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide, the active ingredients in Ozempic and Mounjaro. Some patients have landed in the hospital after taking the wrong dose. That is not surprising when you consider that many of these vials come without proper labels or instructions. In 2023 alone, poison control centers received nearly 3,000 semaglutide-related calls, a huge jump from previous years. Many of those cases involved compounded or mislabeled versions of the medication. There are also serious concerns about what is actually in these products. The FDA has warned that some pharmacies are using different chemical forms of semaglutide, called salt forms, that are not approved for use and may not be safe. In April 2025, the agency seized counterfeit Ozempic from the U.S. supply chain after discovering that some vials contained the wrong ingredients or were contaminated with dangerous bacteria. These are not technical violations. They are real risks to people's health. During earlier shortages, compounding was allowed under special circumstances. But those shortages have ended, and the FDA has ordered most pharmacies to stop making these versions. Despite that, many continue to operate in legal gray zones or offer these drugs online. The harm does not stop with safety concerns. This trend also threatens future breakthroughs in obesity care. Companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly spent years and billions of dollars to develop these treatments. Now, they and others are working on new and even more effective drugs. When unapproved copies flood the market, it becomes harder to fund innovation. If investors cannot count on fair returns, the next generation of such medications may not make it out of the lab. Perhaps the biggest risk is to public trust. When someone has a bad experience with a fake or contaminated version, they may begin to doubt all weight loss innovations. That fear can ripple through the health system, making insurers and doctors more hesitant to support treatments that are helping with the genuine public health emergency of obesity. None of this means that compounding should disappear. It has a place when patients have specific medical needs that cannot be met by the approved versions, such as allergies or special dosing requirements. But what is happening now is not about rare exceptions. The FDA should continue cracking down on compounders that use unapproved ingredients or sell mislabeled products disguised as 'research chemicals.' At the same time, insurers and lawmakers need to make the real thing more affordable by removing middlemen such as pharmacy benefit managers. No one should have to choose between risking their health and going broke. We are finally making progress against a disease that affects nearly half the country and has stumped policymakers and advocates for decades. But progress is fragile. Unregulated versions of GLP-1s cannot be allowed to dominate the market. We risk undoing the progress reported by the CDC in the fight against obesity, and if we get this right, the trend could be reversed. That means longer lives for more people, lived in dignity and to the fullest.
