Walmart Food Recalls That Affected Millions

Yahoo

05-04-2025

Food recalls are more common than many of us might realize. While the food safety and cleanliness of products is something we normally don't think about while shopping at our local grocery store, in 2024 alone more than 296 different food and beverage products were pulled off the shelves due to contamination concerns. In addition, around 1,400 people were affected by food-related contamination incidents in 2024, with most linked to listeria, salmonella, or E. coli.
With more than 4,500 Walmart locations in the U.S., the supermarket giant has to remain particularly vigilant and proactive about food safety. Despite its best efforts, Walmart has had to deal with its fair share of food recalls over the years. From mislabeled packaging to bacterial contamination, the chain has faced plenty of challenges to keep its shelves free of potentially dangerous goods.
It's important to recognize that no safety system is foolproof. As such, no matter the preventative measures, contaminated products are bound to sneak into the supply chain. With this in mind, here is a list of some of the most significant Walmart food recalls in history.
Read more: Peanut Butter, Ranked From Worst To Best
Despite their evocative name, oyster crackers don't contain the briny shellfish. Instead, they are small, round wheat-based crackers. The petite bites are usually served with hearty soups, chowders, and stews. While they can certainly top a meal, oyster crackers weren't some people's favorite menu addition earlier this year when some brands of the product were recalled from Walmart stores. The cause of the debacle — the potential presence of "foreign material," likely stainless steel wire.
The oyster cracker recall was initiated by Shearer's Foods, LLC, an Ohio-based food manufacturer, in February before being upgraded to a Class II recall in March. For those who like detail, this recall level pertains to products that "may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote," (via FDA).
The specific products affected by the safety recall included batches of Market Pantry Soup & Oyster Crackers, Great Value Soup & Oyster Crackers, Giant Eagle Oyster Crackers, VISTA Soup & Oyster Crackers, and 20-pound Bulk Oyster Crackers. When all was said and done, over 15,800 cases of oyster crackers were pulled from the shelves due to contamination risk.
The canned tuna recall earlier this year was somewhat unusual in that it involved a defect with the easy-open pull tab on the cans rather than the seafood itself. The main driver behind the move was a concern that defective packaging could result in leaks or lead to the product becoming contaminated with clostridium botulinum. Notably, clostridium botulinum is a bacteria that causes botulism, a serious form of food poisoning that can lead to paralysis and even death. The Class II recall took place at Walmart, as well as chain stores like Trader Joe's, H-E-B, and Costco, across 30 states.
Tri-Union Seafoods, the producer responsible for the fiasco, recalled all impacted labels, including HEB, Trader Joe's, Genova and Van Camp's. The FDA advised consumers to return the canned fish to the point of purchase for a full refund or discard the product even if it appears fresh and doesn't have an off-putting odor. As far as we are aware, no illnesses were ever linked to the recalled tuna products.
Chicken broth is commonly used as a base in soups, stews, and sauces, and while it isn't an absolute kitchen essential, it's an ingredient that's certainly nice to have on hand. However, in 2025, the poultry broth hit the spotlight for all the wrong reasons when it was recalled from Walmart stores nationwide. The product in question was Great Value Chicken Broth manufactured by TreeHouse Foods.
The FDA attributed the reason for the Class II recall, which affected more than 240 Walmart stores in nine states, to the "potential for packaging failures that could compromise the sterility of the product, resulting in spoilage." While we can't be sure about the exact nature of the defect, TreeHouse Foods pointed to an "internal procedural error" during production as the cause of the packaging issues. The manufacturer also highlighted that it had corrected the error. At the end of the day, Walmart recalled over 2,000 of the product, equating to more than 12,000 cartons of chicken broth.
Most of us agree that broccoli florets are far superior to broccoli stems. The tender, top parts of the broccoli plant are a favorite in savory stir-fries and side dishes. Broccoli stems, on the other hand, can be tough and chewy, making them a much less popular choice with chefs. At the tail end of 2024, the cruciferous vegetable sold at Walmart came under scrutiny when it was recalled in a bid to stop a potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
To halt the spread of the bacteria, Walmart recalled bags of broccoli florets in the 20 states where the product was sold. Produced by Braga Fresh and labeled as Marketside, the contamination alert for the bagged vegetable was initiated on 31 December 2024. Since the recall only applied to products with a "best by" date of 10 December 2024, it mostly affected those who still had the broccoli florets in their freezer. While this safety recall only applied to one very specific product, the FDA upgraded it to a Class I category on 27 January 2025, highlighting the seriousness of the risk posed by any potential infection.
Ten million pounds of protein is an impressive quantity. This is precisely how much beef and poultry were recalled from Walmart, and a range of other stores, in 2024. The move followed routine testing by the Food Safety and Inspection Service at the BrucePac manufacturing plant, which found Listeria monocytogenes in the facility's ready-to-eat poultry. The bacteria can lead to serious health issues in the elderly, pregnant women, newborns, and those with weakened immune systems. Since it wasn't clear whether other ready-to-eat products were also affected by the bacteria, BrucePac's pre-cooked meat was also recalled.
The affected meat and poultry were sold under Walmart's private label, as well as the brand name Fresh Express. Furthermore, it included both refrigerated and frozen products. In fact, so many chain supermarkets and grocery stores sold the offending meat and poultry that the Food Safety and Inspection Service came up with a 409-page list of the products to avoid, from frozen dinners to ready-made salads.
E. coli can turn a perfectly good meal into a nightmare. The pathogen can make its way from the contaminated food into your digestive system, causing symptoms like abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. To avoid a potential outbreak of the illness in 2024, FSIS had to recall more than 16,000 pounds of raw ground beef sold at Walmart stores around the country.
Produced by the Pennsylvania-based manufacturer, Cargill Meat Solutions, the raw beef was distributed to Walmart stores nationwide. More specifically, the affected products included raw ground beef and burger patties packaged in plastic-covered trays. All the products were labeled with a USDA mark of inspection. Just some of the recalled products included Prime Rib Beef Steak Burger Patties and 80% Lean 20% Fat Natural Ground Beef Chuck.
Cargill Meat Solutions is no stranger to controversy. In 2009, the parents of an 11-year-old Minnesota girl sued the company after she got ill from eating the company's beef. The product in question was an E. coli-contaminated hamburger, which left the girl hospitalized for over a month. The case was eventually settled out of court.
Typically used as an ingredient in cookies, brownies, and muffins, baking chips come in a range of styles and flavors. Regrettably, the popular baking ingredient sparked controversy in 2022 when Lily's Sweets issued a recall of its 7-ounce Peppermint Flavor Baking Chips sold exclusively at Walmart stores across the country.
Over 18,000 cases of the baking chips were withdrawn from the market after it was discovered that the product contained soy lecithin, an ingredient that wasn't listed on its label. Soy lecithin can cause adverse reactions in people allergic or sensitive to soy.
The mishap came to light after a consumer discovered that Lily's Peppermint Flavor Baking Chips had been accidentally mixed with white candy pieces, which normally contain soy lecithin. These white chips also contained sugar and several other ingredients not listed on the Peppermint Flavor Baking Chips packaging. Although it's unclear how the mix-up took place, according to a recall notice issued by the FDA, "the error occurred at a co-manufacturer."
While many product mishaps are handled before consumers become ill, this was not the case with the 2021 onion contamination, which is believed to have resulted in an outbreak of salmonella across 37 states. In total, the contaminated alliums have been linked to at least 800 illnesses and 150 hospitalizations.
The affected vegetables included red, white, and yellow onions, which were distributed in cartons and sacks weighing between 2 and 50 pounds, and may have been labeled colossal, jumbo, medium, summer, or sweet. Plus, they were offered under a range of brand names, including Market Pantry and Green Giant.
The onions were sold at Walmart stores in Texas and Oklahoma — two states that accounted for approximately 36% of the reported illnesses. One Walmart location in Kansas also stocked the affected produce. The bulbous vegetables had been imported into the U.S. from Chihuahua, Mexico and distributed by ProSource Produce LLC of Hailey, Idaho, and Keeler Family Farms of Deming, New Mexico.
In 2019, infant formula manufacturer Perrigo recalled 23,388 containers of Parent's Choice Advantage Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron from Walmart over contamination concerns. The product was designed to provide complete nutrition for infants from birth to 12 months of age. As its name suggests, the formula was fortified with iron to support healthy growth and development.
Parent's Choice Advantage Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron, which was sold exclusively at Walmart, was pulled from shelves due to the possible presence of "metal foreign matter," per the FDA. At the time Perrigo issued the recall notice, there were no reports of injuries, and the alert was prompted by an "abundance of caution stemming from a consumer report." No definite information about the origin of the so-called foreign matter was provided. Consumers who purchased Parent's Choice Advantage Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron with a "use by" date of February 26, 2021, were advised to return the product to a Walmart store for a refund.
In 2019, Walmart's store brand frozen berries were withdrawn from the market after the Food and Drug Administration found that they may have been contaminated with norovirus. More specifically, the recall affected 16-ounce bags of Great Value Frozen Blackberries, as well as 12-ounce bags of frozen berries sold at Save-A-Lot. The berries had been processed by Alma Pak in Georgia, which initiated the recall. Walmart locations affected by the recall included Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, as well as the territory of Puerto Rico.
While no infections were reported at the time, norovirus can lead to some unpleasant gastrointestinal issues. The highly contagious virus can cause severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable to more severe symptoms. Although the exact source of the norovirus contamination hasn't been disclosed, it likely occurred during the harvesting, processing, or packaging of the product.
Frozen chicken strips are a staple in many households, and for great reason. They are convenient, versatile, and delicious, often providing a quick and satisfying meal option. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case in 2019, when Walmart, along with other retail chains including Kroger and Target, was forced to remove the poultry from the shelves — or rather, from freezers — due to a concert over metal contamination. In fact, three consumers reported that they had been injured while eating the chicken strips. It's unclear how the metal pieces ended up in the product.
The recall involved close to 12,000 pounds of Tyson fully cooked frozen chicken strips, including a range of flavors. Marketed as easy meal solutions, the compromised products included crispy chicken strips, Buffalo-style chicken strips, and BBQ flavored chicken strips. Although manufactured by Tyson, the poultry products bore the labels Tyson, Best Choice, Great Value, and Food Lion.
Unlike fresh vegetables, which can spoil quickly, frozen veggies have a long shelf life, making them a great option for home chefs wishing to reduce food waste. In fact, vegetables can be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months. In addition, frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, provided they have been properly handled and stored.
Unfortunately, proper handling was overlooked when Walmart had to recall its Great Value brand frozen peas and mixed veggies — including carrots, corn, and green beans — due to a potential listeria contamination. The contaminated vegetables were also sold under the Market Pantry, Bountiful Harvest, First Street, and Live Smart brands.
The problem was traced back to the National Frozen Foods Corporation, which packaged the frozen vegetables. In fact, more than 350 affected products were recalled across the U.S. due to the potential presence of the harmful bacteria. At least seven people were hospitalized after consuming contaminated products, two of whom died.
Just like ground beef, ground turkey can be used in a huge range of dishes, from turkey meatballs to burgers, tacos, and burritos. Unfortunately, in 2011, rather than contributing to a delicious meal, the minced turkey purchased at Walmart sickened more than 100 consumers and resulted in at least one death.
In August of the same year, Cargill issued a recall of 36 million pounds of its ground turkey after an inspection of its meat production facility in Springdale, Arkansas, identified it as a possible source of a strand of salmonella called Heidelberg. The ground turkey was sold under the Shady Brook Farms brand at Walmart, as well as the Fit and Active and the Honeysuckle White brands at Aldi.
By September, the recall had expanded to 185,000 pounds of ground turkey processed at the same plant. The recall affected fresh ground turkey chubs, trays, and patties. This occurred despite the fact that Cargill had closed the facility for two weeks in August to disinfect the grinding machinery. Frank Jones, a scientist and industry consultant with Performance Poultry in Springdale, told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette that tracing the exact source of the contamination proved challenging, explaining, "Locating the origin is likely harder than finding a needle in a haystack because the pathogen is microscopic in size and it's everywhere birds are."
Peanut butter can be a delicious treat. However, the same popular spread can become a serious threat when it infects hundreds of people with salmonella. This is what happened when Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter brands were found to be contaminated with the harmful bacteria. Both products had been manufactured at the ConAgra Foods, Inc. plant in Georgia and sold at Walmart. In fact, between August 2006 and May 2007, 628 cases of salmonella in 41 states had been linked to the contaminated products.
A class lawsuit against ConAgra was filed in February 2007 on behalf of consumers who fell ill — but weren't hospitalized — after eating the contaminated peanut butter. Individual claims were also initiated for those hospitalized with salmonella infections after eating the tainted peanut butter, as well for families whose loved ones had died after consuming the products. In addition, ConAgra was hit with a $11.2 million fine for knowingly distributing peanut butter contaminated with salmonella as early as 2004.
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