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Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
13 Of The Biggest Frozen Food Recalls Of All Time
While you may have thought frozen foods were safer, it turns out that some of the biggest recalls of all time have been frozen food recalls. There are all kinds of things that can go wrong with frozen food. Like with any other food, they can end up with undeclared allergens, or foreign objects can find their way into the foods at the factory. However, what you may not have realized is that many bacteria and viruses don't die at the temperatures they encounter in your freezer. So, if you're not cooking frozen foods or not cooking them long enough, you can still be at risk from pathogens that end up in frozen foods. While there have been plenty more frozen food recalls than the ones listed, these were the biggest in terms of pounds of food recalled, number of people hospitalized, and even lives lost. Yet, many times, it seems that routine food inspections may have caught recallable issues before they became tragic events. Our list of the 13 biggest frozen food recalls of all time starts in 2025 with the most recent large frozen food recalls and goes all the way back to 2007. Read more: 11 Frozen Chicken Entrees, Ranked Worst To Best The February 2025 Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Frozen Supplement Shakes are the deadliest on our list. A total of 17 flavors of shakes were recalled because of possible contamination with listeria monocytogenes, which turned out to be deadly in this case. So, it was a "big" recall in terms of lives lost rather than physical quantities of food recalled. One thing that made this outbreak so deadly was the fact that all the shakes had been sent to long-term care facilities. With two of the categories of people who are most at risk from listeria outbreaks being people who are age 65 and older and those who are immunocompromised, you can start to understand what a nightmare this outbreak became. Another problem is that listeria can survive and even grow in temperatures as low as 31 degrees Fahrenheit. Some frozen foods with listeria don't cause such havoc because they're ultimately cooked before consumption, but shakes are consumed cold. The tainted products were manufactured by Prairie Farms and distributed by Lyons Magnus all over the U.S. Thus, 42 people from 21 different states fell ill. Of the people that it sickened, 41 ended up in the hospital, and 14 died by the end of the ordeal. Interestingly, Lyons Magnus had a previous beverage recall in 2022 after the FDA found various pathogens in its facility, but this is the first recall that has resulted in deaths. The next big frozen food recall on our list is the BrucePac one in October 2024, which involved over 11.7 million pounds of frozen ready-to-eat meat and poultry products being recalled over listeria concerns. The products had made their way to kitchens making food for large quantities of people, such as schools and institutions, as well as restaurants. Plus, there were plenty of products in the recall that were available in the freezer section of regular grocery stores, especially ready-to-eat frozen TV dinners, like ones from Atkins, Boston Market, Target, Michelina's, Trader Joe's, and many more. A recall was enacted after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) found listeria in some of the ready-to-eat products at BrucePac in Durant, Oklahoma, during routine inspections. The products FSIS was concerned about were ones that had been produced during a period of a little over four months between May 31 and October 8, 2024. Not only does listeria pose a large risk to people over the age of 65 and those with compromised immune systems, but it's also a big risk to pregnant people and the unborn. Luckily, FSIS doesn't list any related hospitalizations or deaths related to this particular listeria recall. In March 2023, over 325,000 pounds of Scenic Fruit Company frozen organic strawberries were recalled for their potential of being laced with hepatitis A. The strawberries had gone out to several grocery stores and clubs, like Aldi, Costco, and Trader Joe's, under six different brand names. The hepatitis A virus doesn't die off when frozen and needs to be heated to at least 185 degrees Fahrenheit to inactivate it. So, unless people cooked their frozen strawberries, eating them was quite risky. Ultimately, at least 10 people ended up catching hepatitis A from the strawberries, resulting in four hospitalizations in four states. The strawberries had all been imported from a farm in Baja California, Mexico. The farm was the source of a genetically identical hepatitis A outbreak in 2022, which triggered proactive disease prevention strategies for the growers in the region as well as FDA import screening strategies for crops coming from that region in the future. Rather than the Nestlé Hot Pockets recall in January of 2021 being about the potential for disease, nearly 763,000 pounds were recalled because of foreign object contamination. Several customers contacted the company to complain about finding glass or hard plastic in their Hot Pockets. Luckily, Nestlé only had to recall 12 packs of Premium Pepperoni Pizza Garlic Butter Crust Hot Pockets with four different batch codes from products produced between November 13 and 16 of 2020. A total of four customers contacted Nestlé after they bit down on what appeared to be clear plastic or glass. The company enacted a recall for fear that the pieces could cause choking or lacerations if big or sharp enough. Although there was the potential for worse injuries or even death, thankfully, only one customer reported a minor mouth injury associated with the glass or plastic that was in the Hot Pocket they were eating. In May of 2019, Conagra Brands in Russellville, Arkansas, recalled close to 2.1 million pounds of P.F. Chang's frozen food entrées from food shelves because it failed to list milk among its ingredients. Since the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act went into effect in 2006, we've seen a lot more food recalls happen because of labels that don't include food allergen warning information. The USDA noticed the mislabeling problem when they were doing a routine label check. Since milk wasn't listed among the ingredients for P.F. Chang's Home Menu Chicken Pad Thai and P.F. Chang's Chicken Fried Rice, it triggered a recall. The offending items had production dates that spanned a little over six months between October 1, 2018, and April 11, 2019. All in all, more than 1 million products were included in the recall. Luckily, there were no reports of anyone allergic to milk who became sick from eating these products. Another frozen food recall related to foreign object contamination was the 2018 Wayne Farms ready-to-eat frozen chicken recall. By the time the recall was complete, nearly 439,000 pounds of frozen chicken had been recalled. A customer called to complain about finding metal pieces in their chicken on July 27, but the recall didn't take place until September 5, 2018. The Decatur, Alabama, company ultimately ended up recalling its frozen cooked chicken that it had produced between July 4 and July 17. Luckily, no other customers beyond the first one ever called in to complain about finding metal in their chicken. Still, it was a Class I recall (the most serious type) because of the potential for harm from anyone choking on or being injured by any other metal pieces that might have ended up in the chicken. It's certainly better to recall potentially dangerous food rather than hope that one piece of metal was the only one. A later Wayne Farms recall in 2022 was about undercooked chicken. So, at least the metal problem seems to have been a one-time thing. An undeclared allergen was the cause of the June 2017 Maxi Canada frozen breaded chicken recall. Over 4.2 million pounds of frozen chicken were recalled because Maxi Canada didn't mention on the label that the products might contain milk. However, the problem began with a supplier rather than at Maxi Canada. Basically, Maxi Canada heard from one of their suppliers that the ingredients Maxi Canada had used for its breading might contain milk. In total, the ingredient slipup affected sixteen different products that weren't labeled as possibly containing milk. The recalled products included everything from frozen chicken fries and patty fritters to and chicken strips and nuggets of various shapes. No customers ever contacted Maxi Canada about a milk allergen issue from having eaten the frozen breaded chicken. However, undeclared allergens are a matter of health concern that triggers recalls to avoid potential tragedy. The CRF Frozen Foods recall of frozen fruits and vegetables in April of 2016 is the largest recall on our list of all-frozen items, considering the sheer number of pounds recalled. This recall involved around 47 million pounds of frozen items, 358 specific products, and 42 brands that had the potential of being contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. Not only did the recall result in several hospitalizations, but there were also several deaths. The recalled vegetable brands had listeria strains that were genetically related to the strains infecting those who had become sick. So, the link was officially confirmed through genetic matching. All nine of the people who became sick from the contaminated food in four states were hospitalized, and three of them died. However, only one fatality was officially attributed to listeria. In July of 2015, Aspen Foods enacted a frozen chicken product recall because of a salmonella outbreak. At first, the recall was for nearly 545,000 pounds of frozen chicken, but it eventually reached around 1.9 million pounds of chicken. The products included raw chicken as well as breaded and stuffed chicken products. You may not have realized that salmonella can survive in frozen chicken, but it can, even when stored at temperatures well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. While temperatures of 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill it, salmonella can persist on raw chicken surfaces and potentially spread to other foods or surfaces before cooking. With salmonella having the potential to affect the elderly and infants as well as immunocompromised people fairly strongly, the recall was quite necessary. Fortunately, the outbreak was only limited to Minnesota, and only two of the five people who were sickened had to be hospitalized, with no reported deaths. What started out as a recall of nearly 282,000 pounds of frozen pretzel hot dogs in November of 2014 ultimately turned into a 1.2-million-pound recall. The problem with these products was that all of them failed to list soy lecithin as an ingredient on the label, and it's a known allergen. Soy lecithin is derived from soybeans, which definitely raised concerns for sensitive individuals. While soy lecithin wasn't an actual ingredient mixed into the pretzel hot dogs, FSIS noticed during its inspections that the company was using a non-stick product with soy lecithin on surfaces to help keep the pretzel hotdogs from sticking. With soy lecithin having the potential to cause an allergic reaction, City Line Manufacturing had to enact a recall. Affected brands with tainted pretzel dogs included Auntie Anne's, West Creek, Kunzler, Berks, Nathan's, and City Line. The Hallmark/Westland beef recall of 2008 is notorious for being the biggest meat recall in U.S. history, with a whopping 143 million pounds of beef involved in the recall. While all the recalled beef wasn't frozen, some of it was, making it necessary to include it on our list. Despite it being such a landmark recall, nobody became sick or died from the affected beef, which is a wonder since some of the meat came from sick cows. The recall ended up being so big because it covered meat that had been produced any time between February 2006 and February 2008. Within that long time span, most of the meat -- headed off to be part of school lunches -- had probably already been consumed. The Humane Society released a video in January of 2008 showing workers at Hallmark/Westland not only mistreating cattle but especially the ones that were also too sick to walk, indicating a potential for mad cow disease. In such cases, the company was required to have a USDA veterinarian inspect the animals and ensure they were safe to slaughter and sell for consumption but failed to do so. After the recall, the company went bankrupt, and two of the employees were charged with felony and misdemeanor-level charges, including ones related to animal cruelty. The Humane Society still took the company to court, and Hallmark/Westland ended up having to pay a $317 million settlement on a $497 million judgment. Another company that went bankrupt after its enormous food recall was Topps Meat Company, which recalled 21.7 million pounds of frozen beef patties in 2007. Before the recall, the company had been in business for 67 years. However, 40 people getting sick from an E. coli outbreak in eight states was the nail in the coffin for Topps. While the outbreak could have been deadly, no deaths were reported. With no requirement for meatpackers like Topps to test products for pathogens like E. coli, it was an outbreak that was easy to miss. Plus, there was a concern that the company might have been carrying over meat from one day to the next, causing the E. coli to keep spreading. So, the recall covered frozen meat produced over the span of an entire year, which is what made the recall so big. Freezing also doesn't kill E. coli, but cooking the hamburger patties to temperatures of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit does, which likely means those who became sick didn't eat thoroughly cooked meat. An earlier recall might have prevented at least some of the 40 illnesses that occurred. E. coli is hardest on those under age five or over age 65, as well as people with compromised immune systems. Although officials from the Agriculture Department knew Topps beef was contaminated, it didn't order a recall for 18 days. By that time, 30 people had already gotten sick. The highest number of hospitalizations from any of the recalls on our list happened from frozen pot pies contaminated with salmonella in 2007. These were sold under the Banquet name as well as several grocery store brand names, like Albertson's and Kroger. The fact that 401 people in 41 states ended up with salmonellosis after consuming undercooked pot pies makes you pause and consider just how many times you've eaten food from the freezer that wasn't quite cooked all the way through. Further, 108 of the people who became sick ended up in the hospital, which was 32% of them. One problem with the microwave instructions on these pot pies from ConAgra Foods, Inc. was that they didn't account for the varying wattage of different microwaves. Cooking times for one microwave won't necessarily work for all microwaves, which can leave some parts still cold or even frozen. However, there were some other problems here as well. For one, the packaging for these Banquet pot pies had different cooking times listed in different areas. Other problems fell to consumers, like not realizing the product continues to cook during the cool down time you're supposed to allow before eating. Still, some consumers reported cooking more than one pot pie at a time in the microwave, using the same cooking time for single pie or cooking them in the oven when there wasn't an oven cooking time listed on the packaging. Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Costco Frozen Food Recalls That Affected Millions
Frozen food is nothing short of a miracle of science. Packagers can preserve fresh produce or create entire meals that can last for months or even years if kept cold enough. Another remarkable system gets these frozen foods to millions of American homes: club warehouse stores such as Costco. Members navigate carts through their massive local stores to stock up on all the necessities and treats their families may need. They put a lot of trust in Costco to make sure that everything they buy, serve, and consume is safe and sound. But the supply chain is complicated, with a lot of different companies and elements along the way. Any one of them can -- and sometimes does -- go awry, sending tainted, contaminated, and hazardous food into hundreds of Costco club stores around the country. When this happens, Costco works with manufacturers and federal government agencies to get the affected products out of stores and away from customers. Here are the most monumental recalls to ever hit the frozen food section of Costco. Read more: Discontinued Costco Grocery Products We Probably Won't Get Back BrucePac is an industrial supplier that provides chicken and other meats to a number of companies. In October 2024, an inspection of a BrucePac processing plant in Durant, Oklahoma, discovered that meat and poultry made there may have been infected with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can lead to a foodborne illness colloquially known as listeria. Thanks to the nature of BrucePac's business, the possibly tainted chicken made its way into numerous food items, including El Monterey Mexican Grill Chicken & Cheese Taquitos, sold in bulk quantities at Costco stores. Also including BrucePac pre-cooked chicken, and thus subject to recall, were two frozen pasta dinner meals sold at Costco: Rana Chicken Truffle Carbonara and Rana Tagliatelle Grilled White Chicken & Portobello Mushroom Sauce. A daunting recall effort ensued that grew to comprise 11.7 million pounds of chicken, found in products sold at numerous retail chains and used institutionally in school cafeteria meals. Another frozen item sold in bulk at Costco was recalled: Red's Southwestern Grilled Chicken Mini Burritos. No illnesses linked to the BrucePac and Costco recall were initially reported, but a wrongful death lawsuit was later filed regarding a recalled pasta product sold at Walmart. Krusteaz is one of the leaders in the market of convenience waffles, producing lines of dry mixes and heat-and-eat frozen varieties through its parent company, TreeHouse Foods. In 2024, Costco stocked 24-item boxes of Krusteaz Belgian Waffles in its network of warehouse stores. At first, that popular item wasn't listed among the affected products when TreeHouse Foods announced in October 2024 that Listeria monocytogenes had been detected at a production facility in Brantford, Ontario, via a regularly scheduled test. Fearing contamination, TreeHouse Foods issued a modest recall. Four days later, the company expanded the pullback to include well over 200 varieties of potentially tainted frozen waffles, including the 3.4-pound boxes of Krusteaz Belgian Waffles on sale at Costco. Neither the FDA, Costco, nor TreeHouse Foods ever announced exactly how many units or pounds of Krusteaz Frozen Waffles were subject to recall or what quantity of potentially listeria-infested waffles wound up returned. Fortunately, no illnesses linked to the product were ever reported. That's a good thing, as listeria can cause a particularly serious form of food poisoning called listeriosis, which can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms, fever, and muscle stiffness. In particularly severe cases, it can even prove fatal -- especially in compromised segments of the population, such as children, the elderly, or the chronically ill. TreeHouse Foods produces frozen waffles for the house brands of some of the most trusted grocery stores in America as well as a variety of name-brand breakfast goods. Among the company's brands is Kodiak Cakes, a line of frozen waffles fortified with protein that was involved in two recalls in 2024. Not only were several kinds of Kodiak waffles included in the recall for hundreds of TreeHouse products after the aforementioned discovery of Listeria monocytogenes in October 2024, but some waffles were also the target of a separate recall a month earlier. In September 2024, Costco pulled 40-count boxes of Kodiak Power Waffles in the buttermilk and vanilla flavor from its icy cold shelves. Just one lot with a particular code and time stamp was found to be at fault, but the frozen waffles had already been distributed to Costco stores in the Midwest and surrounding areas, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. While no illnesses were reported, Kodiak Cakes bosses said that the recall had to take place because the waffles, purchased in July and August 2024, had potentially become compromised by something inedible. Small bits of plastic film used in production and packaging had found their way into the waffles themselves. Delicious though it may taste, raw cookie dough isn't necessarily fit for human consumption. It's made with flour and eggs, which can harbor harmful E. coli and salmonella bacteria, respectively, in their uncooked states. That possibility became a reality in May 2024, when a Rise Baking Company subsidiary, South Coast Baking, voluntarily initiated a recall of its frozen cookie dough, distributed to big chains such as Panera Bread, Sam's Club, and Costco. Within a month, the Food and Drug Administration had deemed the cookie dough -- believed to be contaminated with dangerous salmonella pathogens -- concerning enough to issue a Class II level recall. If consumed, the bacteria can cause fever, cramping, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Featured on the list of potentially harmful products was Costco Chocolate Chunk Frozen Cookie Dough. Altogether, the recall covered 29,019 cases of unbaked cookies sold in 21 states in every region of the contiguous United States. The incident preceded a big change for Rise Baking. Within months of the recall, the company was sold to the investment firms Butterfly and Platinum Equity. Frozen fruit is a wonderful convenience. If sealed and stored correctly in a home freezer, it can remain palatable almost indefinitely, serving as the foundation for a quick, vitamin-rich morning smoothie. That's the concept of Organic Daybreak Blend, a 4-pound bounty of raw, chopped, skinned, and unsweetened mixed fruits -- pineapple, mango, peaches, and strawberries -- sold at Costco and manufactured by Wawona Frozen Foods. One tricky part about frozen foods sold in bulk is that because they can last for so long, products may lurk in freezers for months or even years. Bacteria with the potential to cause foodborne illness may be discovered months later, putting the heat on distributors and stores like Costco to issue recalls. In June 2023, the Food and Drug Administration spread the news of a voluntary recall of bags of Daybreak Blend distributed as early as April 2022. A total of 23 lots necessitated return because they contained strawberries acquired from a facility in Mexico that was the site of a hepatitis A outbreak. The bags had been sold at Costco stores in Utah, Colorado, California, Washington, and Arizona. Nine cases of illness were linked to the frozen strawberries used in products sold at stores beyond Costco. Three of those individuals needed to be hospitalized with liver infections. Costco doesn't just sell enormous boxes packed with enough product to last for months. The chain also sells all-in-one meal kits that include everything you need to make a full meal for a family or a large group. In early 2023, Costco stocked Pescanova Shrimp Street Taco with Roasted Corn, Poblano & Chipotle Sauce. This meal in a bag provided the seasonings, vegetables, tortillas, and protein -- Pescanova is a seafood and shellfish distribution packager -- required to prepare a sizable quantity of shrimp tacos. Because Costco is a membership-based store, it maintains records of customer purchases. In April 2023, it sent out a letter to everyone who bought a Pescanova Shrimp Street Taco kit. It warned customers to not eat the frozen product and, if they should still have it in their freezers, to take it back to Costco to receive a refund. The problem? Pescanova had determined that the products sold at Costco between March 23 and April 24, 2023, had been contaminated by inedible and possibly dangerous pieces of plastic up to 5 millimeters long. Even the tops of strawberries have plenty of uses, adding to the fruit's potential for desserts, snacks, salads, and smoothies. This versatility makes a 4-pound bag of juicy, flavorful, long-lasting Kirkland Signature Organic Strawberries a popular purchase among Costco members. Kirkland Signature is a private label, with hidden brands making a lot of its products for Costco. Kirkland Signature Frozen Organic Strawberries, for example, were picked, packaged, and labeled by California Splendor, a San Diego-based produce distributor. In March 2023, this same company discovered that the fruit it had prepared on behalf of Costco had potentially been exposed to hepatitis A. The disease can set in between 15 to 50 days after first contact, causing a host of potential symptoms such as pain, jaundice, gastrointestinal issues, and a potentially fatal effect on liver function. With the aid of the Food and Drug Administration, California Splendor recalled 13 lots of Kirkland Signature Frozen Organic Strawberries sold at Costco stores in Hawaii, San Diego, and Los Angeles. The rest of California -- as well as stores in Arizona, Texas, and Colorado -- was also pulled into the recall after it expanded to include Rader Farms Organic Fresh Start Smoothie Blend. Stocking up on the essentials that will keep a household well-fed for weeks or months is one of Costco's biggest selling points. Its extensive frozen food section sells all kinds of heat-and-eat items that can become the basis for a quickly prepared meal, like sandwich-ready chicken. In the 2020s, Costco entered the ongoing fried chicken sandwich wars with a 5-pound bag of Foster Farms Chicken Patties. Sold in resealable containers containing 20 servings, the boneless chicken patties were made from breast and rib meat that was breaded, fried, and frozen. In 2022, Foster Farms recalled a substantial portion of its bulk bags of chicken patties intended for sale at Costco because they posed a danger to customers. Firm, hard, and even sharp pieces of plastic had accidentally found their way into the chicken during production. If eaten, the plastic could possibly cause internal injury. Foster Farms figured out that all of the risky chicken had been made at one processing facility on August 11, 2022, and the plastic-laced patties had been sent to Costco distribution centers across Colorado, California, Utah, Arizona, and Washington. The recall worked -- nobody got sick or hurt from the patties after 148,000 pounds were pulled from freezers. Extreme temperatures can kill many foodborne pathogens, but not all of them, including the virus that causes hepatitis A. The devastating germ can withstand extreme cold, so if it makes its way into an industrial-sized load of frozen berries distributed across the nation, a recall is necessary to prevent a public health crisis. Oregon-based produce distributor Townsend Farms was the company responsible for Costco's Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend. While no customer illnesses were reported, it issued a recall in June 2019 for its blend of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries sold in 4-pound bags at Costco stores in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Hawaii. A day later, Townsend updated the recall when it discovered that the potentially damaging bags of fruit had already been sent to Costco outlets in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. The recall involved more than 69,000 pounds of fruit stamped with over 55 different production codes. Some of this fruit was also sold at Kroger-affiliated stores under private labels. Nestlé is one of the biggest food companies in the world and is best known for its sweet treats. One of the brand's most popular products is the Drumstick, the ice cream novelty that's a pre-assembled, filled, and chocolate-dipped cone. A significant portion of the production runs of that omnipresent snack come out of a Nestlé USA plant in Bakersfield, California. In October 2016, quality control tests at that facility uncovered the presence of Listeria monocytogenes on equipment and surfaces used to create and pack Drumsticks into bulk-size boxes intended for sale at Costco stores across the U.S. While listeria wasn't identified in any Drumstick cones made available at Costco, Nestlé issued a precautionary recall of the ice cream products produced at the Bakersfield plant over a certain time period. Costco helped get the word out about not eating Drumsticks sold in a 16-count variety pack or a 24-count vanilla-flavored box. The recall included 18 lot codes with best-by dates in June 2017. Fortunately, no cases of listeriosis were reported to Nestlé or Costco. Fruit and vegetables are supposed to be healthy -- even the mass-produced and frozen kind. However, frozen and bagged produce is susceptible to infection by foodborne pathogens. In two rounds of recalls in April and May 2016, CRF Frozen Foods of Pasco, Washington, announced that hundreds of its products may have been contaminated with the bacteria that leads to listeriosis. This can cause symptoms like nausea and diarrhea and increase the chance of miscarriages in pregnant women. It took two years to discover the listeria problem. The Ohio Department of Agriculture tested samples of peas and corn, both of which yielded a positive result. Since frozen fruits and vegetables may linger in consumers' freezers for years, CRF issued a recall of everything it had processed from May 1, 2014, onward, with expiration dates as far out as April 2018. A total of 358 fruit and vegetable products were recalled across 42 different brand and store names, including many Costco varieties, which had been sold in every U.S. state and four Canadian provinces. CRF asked for the non-consumption and return of a whopping 164 million pounds of frozen fruits and vegetables. By the end of the outbreak, seven people had fallen ill in three states from tainted produce, while two people died. Pre-cooked chicken strips are an easy way to add protein to numerous meals and snacks. Unsurprisingly, they're a staple for Costco customers, sold in the chain's vast frozen food sections. Costco has long sold grilled chicken strips manufactured by major poultry company Foster Farms in big 3.25-pound bags. In September 2014, however, Costco pulled them from shelves amid a recall by the chicken producer. Quality-control units at Foster Farms tested some samples and discovered the presence of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. In addition to holding back from distributing potentially tainted frozen grilled chicken strips, it recalled products that had already been sent to distribution centers in Washington, Utah, Texas, and California, and to Costco stores in 11 states. With the aid of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, Costco supported the recall of 39,747 pounds of chicken, all of which was processed on August 5, 2014. The recall was successful in that Foster Farms nor Costco received any news of illness acquired via the consumption of those grilled chicken strips. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why Aldi Once Recalled More Than 130,000 Pounds Of Turkey Sausage
Aldi is beloved by shoppers for its low prices and quality products, but like any grocery seller, the chain isn't perfect and has faced its share of product recalls. A prominent one came in 2024, when the chain was forced to recall over 130,000 pounds of turkey sausage. The reason was concerning but not entirely outlandish: bone fragments contaminating the meat. The 133,039 pounds of ready-to-eat sausage were sold under the Parkview brand name as "turkey Polska kielbasa." Both the company and the USDA received multiple complaints about the issue before the January 2024 recall, including one instance of injury. Neither Aldi nor the feds provided details on how the contamination may have happened. Aldi's recall announcement noted that the 13-ounce packages were sold in 35 states and Washington, D.C. and advised shoppers to discard or return them for a full refund. With a use-by date of April 2024, the product has long expired by now. However, any remaining packages which may have been frozen by consumers for later use should be thrown out, so check your freezer. Read more: False Things You Believe About Shopping At Aldi Although there's no doubt this was among the biggest turkey recalls in U.S. history, it's crucial to keep this incident in context. Aldi's recall was just a tiny fraction compared to the nearly 12 million pounds of BrucePac turkey products recalled in 2024 over listeria concerns. Still, it's also almost ten times the volume as a 2021 recall of over 14,000 pounds of Butterball ground turkey contaminated with plastic. Nevertheless, it's solidly among the biggest food recalls in Aldi history, which have ranged from salads to sandwiches to frozen items. Aldi's turkey sausage was one of around 300 U.S. food recalls in 2024 and part of just 4.1% involving foreign materials contaminating products. Fortunately, the USDA described the single injury from this recall as "minor," but those affected by other recalls haven't been so lucky. Nearly 500 people were sent to the hospital by food recall-related issues in 2024, including 19 who eventually died. To be sure, Aldi typically offers excellent deals and quality store-brand products, including some, like Benton's Chocolate Chip Cookies and Burman's Ketchup, that are better than the originals. Still, the store is vulnerable to the same issues as any other food distributor, making it worthwhile to keep an eye on active recalls to stay safe and healthy. Read the original article on Mashed.
