Who to weight loss! 35 of the Biggest Food Recalls in U.S.
History
Food recalls have become very common. So far in 2019, almost
every other day a new item is listed on the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration’s recalls, market withdrawals, and safety alerts page.
24/7 Tempo identified 35 of the worst recalls of all time by
reviewing the events that caused the most deaths, hospitalizations, and cases
of illness.
Food items made with chicken, beef, and deli ham can be
contaminated with different strains of salmonella and listeria, and they have
sickened hundreds of people across the country. Millions of pounds of meat have
been recalled. Meat can become contaminated by small amounts of intestinal
contents during slaughter.
In all of these cases, consumers were advised to throw out
produce, meat, or sweetstuff containers manufactured by different companies due
to contamination, presence of dangerous bacteria, or incorrect information on the
ingredient labels. Some food and drinks on this list are also on the list of the 42
most outrageous product claims of all time.
Many recalls are issued as a precaution in order to prevent
an epidemic. Sometimes, however, contamination in food can go unnoticed,
leading to hospitalizations and even deaths. Disturbingly, some companies have
knowingly distributed contaminated products, which has led to some of the
nation’s most tragic food-borne illness outbreaks. (And these are
the absolute worst outbreaks of all time.)
35. Hudson
Foods
> No. of cases: 16
> No. of deaths: 0
When the Department of Agriculture told Hudson Foods Inc. to
recall 25 million pounds of beef in 1997 because of E. coli contamination, it
was the largest such food recall up to that time. Hudson Foods, based in
Rogers, Arkansas, also temporarily closed its Columbus, Nebraska,
meat-processing facility. Hudson Foods lost its contract with Burger King, and
the company was sold later that year.
34. Costco
> No. of cases: 19
> No. of deaths: 0
Price-club company Costco, based in Issaquah, Washington, was
forced to recall a diced celery and onion mix used in its chicken salad in 2015
after the FDA announced that the product contained E. coli. The vegetable mix,
which was produced by California-based Taylor Farms Pacific Inc., sickened 19
people in seven states, with five people hospitalized.
33. ConAgra
Beef Company
> No. of cases: 19
> No. of deaths: 0
An outbreak of E. coli in 2002 was traced to a ConAgra Beef
Company plant in Greeley, Colorado, that led to 19 people in six states being
sickened, with seven hospitalized. More than 19 million pounds of beef were
recalled. Department of Agriculture officials said much of the meat targeted
for recall had probably already been eaten.
32. ADM
Milling Co.
>No. of cases: 21
> No. of deaths: 0
A number of companies working with ADM Milling Co., including
Brand Castle, LLC, Pillsbury, King Arthur, and Aldi, recalled several brands of
flour, cookie, and brownie mixes between June and September of 2019 because
they were potentially contaminated with E. coli. A total of 21 people were
infected, and cases were confirmed in nine states.
31. Freshway
Foods
> No. of cases: 26
> No. of deaths: 0
Freshway Foods voluntarily recalled packages of romaine
lettuce in 2010 after the FDA notified the Sidney, Ohio-based company that an
unopened sample in a laboratory in New York tested positive for E. coli. The
recalled product was sold in mostly Eastern states and sickened 26 people.
30. Romaine
lettuce
> No. of cases: 32
> No. of deaths: 0
On Nov. 20, 2018, the CDC advised all consumers to throw out
any romaine that may be in their refrigerators due to an outbreak of E. coli
infections. So far, 32 people have been sickened among 11 states. Thirteen of
the 32 people affected by the tainted vegetable were hospitalized from the
bacteria, and one of them had kidney failure. Not enough information is
available to determine which source or sources are the culprit, which is why
all products containing romaine, such as bags and boxes of precut lettuce and
salad mixes, were urged to be tossed.
29. SoyNut
Butter Company
> No. of cases: 32
> No. of deaths: 0
In 2017, SoyNut Butter Company, which was known for its
nut-free granola products and peanut butter substitutes, was the source of a
12-state E. coli outbreak. Thirty-two people fell ill, 26 of whom were
children. The company filed for bankruptcy shortly after the outbreak was
linked to its soy nut paste product.
28. Northfork
Bison Distributions Inc.
>No. of cases: 33
> No. of deaths: 0
Northfork Bison Distributions Inc., based in Quebec, Canada,
recalled ground bison in July 2019, including products sold as 4-ounce burger
patties, produced between February and April. More than 30 people in eight
states got sick, and 18 people were treated in hospitals, according to the CDC.
27. Topps
Meat Company
> No. of cases: 40
> No. of deaths: 0
Tainted meat from E.coli contamination forced Topps Meat
Company to recall 21.7 million pounds of ground meat in 2007. The outbreak
sickened 30 people. The incident doomed Topps, at the time the nation's largest
seller of frozen hamburger patties, as the company closed after the outbreak.
26. General
Mills
> No. of cases: 63
> No. of deaths: 0
General Mills Inc. of Golden Valley, Minnesota, was in for a
rude awakening in May 2016 when several batches of raw flour were linked to E.
coli. Sixty-three people in 24 states became ill from consuming the flour, and
17 were hospitalized. The outbreak led to a recall of 45 million pounds of
flour among three brands: Gold Medal, Gold Medal Wondra, and Signature
Kitchens.
25. Nestlé
USA
> No. of cases: 65
> No. of deaths: 0
People were thinking twice about eating cookie dough ice
cream after 300,000 cases of Toll House refrigerated cookie-dough products were
recalled in 2009. The products, made by Rosslyn, Virginia-based Nestlé USA,
contained E. coli and sickened 65 people in 29 states, with 25 people going to
the hospital.
24. Townsend
Farms
> No. of cases: 162
> No. of deaths: 0
An outbreak of hepatitis A virus linked to pomegranate seeds
from Turkey sickened 162 people in 10 states in 2013. Townsend Farms Inc. used
the seeds to make the Townsend Farms and Harris Teeter Organic Antioxidant
Blends. The FDA detained shipments of pomegranate seeds from a Turkish exporter
when it was discovered they were the source of the outbreak. Townsend Farms,
located in Fairview, Oregon, announced a voluntary recall of its Organic
Antioxidant Blends.
23. Colorado
Premium Foods
>No. of cases: 209
> No. of deaths: 0
Beginning in March 2019, people started getting sick from
eating ground beef -- from various sources -- according to the CDC. No single
distributor, brand, or store selling the contaminated meat was identified.
Almost 30 people in 10 states were hospitalized. Two cases of a type of kidney
failure were reported.
Grant Park Packing in Franklin Park, Illinois, recalled about
53,200 pounds of raw ground beef products in April. The same month, Colorado
Premium Foods, in Carrollton, Georgia, recalled more than 113,000 pounds of raw
ground beef products.
22. Siga
Logistics de RL de CV
>No. of cases: 241
> No. of deaths: 0
The CDC reported an outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis (a
parasite) infections linked to eating fresh basil from Siga Logistics de RL de
CV of Morelos, Mexico. Infections were reported in five states, and six people
were hospitalized. The company recalled the basil on July 24, 2019, about a
month and a half after the first cases were reported.
21. JBS
Tolleson Inc.
> No. of cases: 246
> No. of deaths: 0
JBS Tolleson Inc., based in Tolleson, Arizona, recalled
nearly 7 million pounds of beef products, including ground beef, that may be
contaminated with a strain of Salmonella Newport. (The recall later expanded to
over 12 million pounds.) The meat was packaged between July 26 and Sept. 7,
2018. The beef products were shipped to stores across the country under many
brand names. As many as 246 people from 26 states have gotten sick.
20. Foster
Farms
> No. of cases: 634
> No. of deaths: 0
Chicken produced by Foster Farms caused a 17-month outbreak
of salmonella in 29 states and Puerto Rico. The first sign of the outbreak
appeared in March 2013 and by July 2014, a total of 634 people were affected by
the pathogen; about 241 were hospitalized.
19. Wright
County Egg/Hillandale Farms
> No. of cases: 1,900+
> No. of deaths: 0
The largest egg recall ever occurred in 2010, when an
outbreak of salmonella sickened more than 1,900 people and forced a
half-billion eggs off the shelves. The tainted eggs came from two Iowa farms:
Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, which distributed them to stores in 14
states.
18. Bon
Vivant
> No. of cases: 2
> No. of deaths: 1
In 1971, a can of Bon Vivant vichyssoise soup was tainted
with botulism that killed a banker from New York and sickened his wife. In July
1971, Bon Vivant Inc. voluntarily recalled 6,444 cans of the product. Botulism
results from a toxin derived from a bacteria that can contaminate foods during
the canning process.
17. Odwalla
> No. of cases: 65+
> No. of deaths: 1
Odwalla Inc. was forced to recall its unpasteurized apple
juice following an E. coli outbreak in 1996. More than 65 people in the western
United States and British Columbia were sickened by the beverage, and one child
died. The Half Moon Bay, California-based company recalled the juice from its
4,000 distributors and shut down its apple juice and carrot juice production
facilities in California. Odwalla was held criminally responsible for the
outbreak and pleaded guilty to 16 federal charges and paid a $1.5 million fine.
The company was eventually bought by Coca-Cola.
16. Cargill
> No. of cases: 75
> No. of deaths: 1
Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation in Springdale, Arkansas,
had two outbreaks of salmonella in 2011. The first outbreak occurred in August
2011, when one person died and another 75 became ill after consuming Cargill's
ground turkey. The company had to recall nearly 36 million pounds of meat. Less
than a month later, the same strain of the food-borne illness was found again,
leading to a recall of an additional 185,000 pounds of ground turkey.
15. Carica de
Campeche Farm
> No. of cases: 220
> No. of deaths: 1
Five different strains of salmonella were found in papayas
grown on a farm in Tenabo, Campeche, Mexico, in 2017. They infected 220 people
in 23 states over a five-month span. One person in New York City died and 68
were hospitalized in other parts of the country. Three companies -- Grande
Produce, Agroson's LLC, and Freshtex Produce -- announced recalls of papayas.
14. Vulto
Creamery
> No. of cases: 8
> No. of deaths: 2
In March 2017, Vulto Creamery, an artisanal cheesemaker based
in Walton, New York, recalled several cheeses made with raw milk that were
tainted with listeria. The products had been distributed across the country,
and were predominantly sold at Whole Foods Markets. The outbreak caused two
deaths in Connecticut and Vermont, and caused another eight people to fall ill.
Evidently, the owner of Vulto Creamery knew about the facility's contamination
two years prior, but chose not to report it. The creamery was shut down in
2018.
13. Blue Bell
Creameries
> No. of cases: 10
> No. of deaths: 3
Blue Bell Creameries, the nation's third-largest ice cream
maker and one of the South's most beloved brands, experienced a listeria
outbreak in 2015. Ten people were infected in four states, and three died
in Kansas. Blue Bell, based in Brenham, Texas, voluntarily recalled its ice cream,
yogurt, sherbet, and frozen snack products in April 2015.
12.
Chamberlain Farms Produce
> No. of cases: 261
> No. of deaths: 3
The FDA announced a recall of cantaloupes sourced from
Indiana's Chamberlain Farms Produce Inc. in 2012. The cantaloupes were contaminated
with salmonella, which infected 261 people, and caused 94 hospitalizations and
three deaths.
11.
Frescolina Marte
> No. of cases: 22
> No. of deaths: 4
Listeria was found in an Italian cheese importer's Frescolina
Marte ricotta salata cheese in 2012. The food-borne illness infected 22 people
in 13 states and the District of Columbia, and was linked to four deaths and 20
hospitalizations. The cheese importer, Forever Cheese Inc., voluntarily
recalled the product, and the CDC placed the exporter, Fattorie Chiarappa
S.R.L., on import alert. That meant Fattorie Chiarappa's cheese was denied
entry to the U.S. until the company could prove the product was not
contaminated with listeria.
10. Jack in
the Box
> No. of cases: 500+
> No. of deaths: 4
One of the deadliest E. coli infections to date occurred in
1993 when over 500 people in Washington, Idaho, California, and Nevada
contracted the food-borne illness after eating hamburgers from Jack in the Box.
The outbreak was linked to 11 lots of patties produced by Von Companies of
California. Jack in the Box issued a recall, but only 20 percent of the ground
beef was recovered and the company lost approximately $160 million. The
outbreak caused four deaths, including one child, and more than 170
hospitalizations.
9. Natural
Selection Foods
> No. of cases: 205
> No. of deaths: 5
In September 2006, five people died and 205 people were
sickened by E. coli after eating contaminated spinach grown on a San Juan
Bautista, California, farm. Natural Selection Foods, which sold the leafy green
vegetable under its Earthbound Farm brand, recalled the product later that
month. A Washington Post story said Natural Selection supplied bagged spinach
to 74% of the nation's grocery stores.
8. Andrew
& Williamson Fresh Produce
> No. of cases: 907
> No. of deaths: 6
In 2015, cucumbers tainted with salmonella killed six people,
hospitalized 204, and sickened 907 people in 40 states. The CDC determined that
Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce had imported the vegetables from Mexico
but the source of the contamination was not identified. Andrew &
Williamson, based in San Diego, California, announced a recall of cucumbers in
September 2015.
Broccoli & your abdominal
fat?
7. Peanut
Corporation of America
> No. of cases: 700+
> No. of deaths: 9
One of the biggest salmonella outbreaks of all time occurred
in 2008 and 2009 when the pathogen was detected in Peanut Corporation of
America's products. The outbreak infected over 700 people and killed nine in
the U.S. and Canada. The company recalled more than 3,600 products and
eventually filed for bankruptcy in February 2009.
6. Hillfarm
Dairy
> No. of cases: 16,000+
> No. of deaths: 9
Perhaps the biggest outbreak of salmonella to date occurred
in 1985, and was caused by milk from Hillfarm Dairy in Melrose Park. Illinois.
More than 16,000 people across the Upper Midwest fell ill -- and has been
confirmed to be the cause of two, possibly 12 more, deaths. The milk was
removed from the shelves of supermarkets and the company was shut down shortly
after it was identified as the source of the outbreak.
5. Pilgrim's
Pride
> No. of cases: 46
> No. of deaths: 10
In 2002, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation's deli meat wreaked havoc
in eight states. After 46 cases of listeria were confirmed, Pilgrim's Pride
recalled a whopping 27.4 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken and turkey
products. The outbreak resulted in 10 deaths, including three stillbirths and
miscarriages.
4. Menu Foods
> No. of cases: 16
> No. of deaths: 16
Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans and packages of pet food
in 2007 after 16 cats and dogs died. The gluten in some products had been
contaminated with melamine, a chemical that's used in the manufacturing of
items such as cooking utensils, plates, and paperboard, just to name a few. The
FDA does not allow melamine to be used in human food or animal feed because it
can cause adverse side effects such as kidney failure.
3. Sara Lee
> No. of cases: 100+
> No. of deaths: 21
Hot dog and deli meat producing giant Sara Lee Corp.
voluntarily recalled 35 million pounds of meat in 1998 after learning its
products were contaminated with listeria. The outbreak killed 21 people and
more than 100 fell ill. Not surprisingly, Sara Lee suffered major losses -- the
recall alone cost roughly $76 million. Another $25 million went toward
renovating the facility where the outbreak originated.
2. Jalisco
Mexican Products Inc.
> No. of cases: 142
> No. of deaths: 28
A devastating 28-state listeria outbreak caused by soft,
Mexican-style cheese made by Jalisco Mexican Products killed 28 people,
including 10 newborns, in 1985. A total of 142 cases of human listeriosis were
confirmed in Los Angeles County, 93 of which were pregnant women and their
unborn children.
1. Jensen
Farms
> No. of cases: 147
> No. of deaths: 33
Colorado-based Jensen Farms caused one of the biggest foodborne
illness outbreaks to date in 2011. The company's Rocky Ford cantaloupes were
contaminated with listeria, which killed 33 people. An additional 147 people
were infected in 28 states. Jensen Farms filed for bankruptcy shortly after the
outbreak was linked to its produce, and the owners were charged with several
counts of adulteration of a food and aiding and abetting.
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