30 Biggest U.S. Food Recalls of 2021

The Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, company — a division of Nestlé USA, the subsidiary of the Swiss global food giant — issued a recall of a large quantity of the popular Nestlé Hot Pockets product because they may contain pieces of glass and hard plastic. The problem was discovered when the company received four consumer complaints.

Food Evolution of Schiller Park, Illinois, recalled some of its ready-to-eat dips, pasta salad, and potato salad because they contained uninspected meats as ingredients. Federal food safety inspectors said the company produced the recalled products at an off-site facility and then repackaged and labeled them with the USDA mark of inspection.

The Garden Grove, California, company recalled some of its pork pâté products that were brought to the U.S. from France by a French establishment that is ineligible to export to the United States. The problem was discovered during a routine federal food inspection.

GLF Trading, Inc. of Chino, California, recalled some of its hotpot seasoning products because they contained beef tallow originating in China, which is ineligible to export beef to the United States. The product, which does not bear inspection marks, was shipped to restaurants in six states.

The Norwalk, California, company recalled the canned corned beef because they had not been inspected in the U.S. but bore labels by Australian food inspectors. A tip from an industry representative alerted FSIS to the issue.

The Evanston, Illinois, establishment recalled the meat and poultry pasta products that were produced without the benefit of federal food safety inspections. The problem was identified during routine federal surveillance activities.

Rong Shing Trading, Inc. of Brooklyn, New York, recalled some of its Chinese-style hot pot base containing beef tallow imports from China, which is ineligible to export beef to the United States. The products, which had no English-language labelling, including the required USDA mark of inspection, were identified following a consumer complaint.

The Quebec company recalled packages containing 12 pounds of fat free ham that had been shipped to California distributors due to possible pathogen contamination. Canadian food safety officials identified the potential contamination after U.S. inspectors discovered salmonella during a routine sample of imported food products.

JBS USA Food Company of Greeley, Colorado recalled 60-pound boxes of boneless beef products that had been imported from Australia because they may have been contaminated by pathogens. The products were sent to processors in Pennsylvania and New York. The problem was discovered during routine product sampling by federal food safety inspectors.

The Brooklyn, New York-based company recalled its 4.23-oz. packages of Golden Spoon Hot Pot Fish Chips because they contained catfish imported from China, which is allowed to send raw catfish to the U.S. but not processed or ready-to-eat catfish. The problem was discovered during routine surveillance activity of food imports by federal food safety officials.

Minneapolis-based Bellisio Foods, Inc. recalled 8.5-oz. trays of its Michelina’s Spaghetti with Meat Sauce because the ingredients label did not mention the product contains soy, a known allergen. The problem was identified when the company learned that soy-containing ingredients may have mingled with a product that doesn’t normally contain soy.

Kraft Heinz Foods Company recalled 4-pound tubs of its frozen Chef Francisco Minestrone Condensed Soup that incorrectly bore the label Chef Francisco Vegetable Beef and Barley Condensed Soup. That label does not declare the food contains milk and eggs, known allergens. The problem was identified by a foodservice customer who reported the mislabeling.

The Corona, New York, company recalled its 14-oz. and 22-oz. vacuum-packed heat treated, not fully cooked chorizo sausage because it was produced and shipped without the benefit of federal inspection. The problem was identified when federal food safety regulators discovered the company had sourced the meat from a retail butcher that is not subject to federal inspection.

Tinley Park, Illinois-based Otten’s Seafood, Inc. recalled its 30-pound wholesale packages of frozen catfish steaks and fresh whole catfish because the products were produced, packaged, and shipped without federal inspections. The problem was identified through routine surveillance by federal food safety inspectors.

The Kent, Washington, meat producer recalled eight products containing fully cooked poultry or pork because their ingredients labels did not declare the food contained egg, milk, and/or wheat, which are known allergens. The problem was identified by the company, which determined the allergen ingredients may have commingled with products that don’t normally have them.

The Springdale, Arkansas, meat giant recalled a massive amount of ready-to-eat chicken products due to possible listeria contamination. The problem was identified during a federal and state investigation into three listeria poisoning cases that caused one death.

The Alhambra, California, company recalled six of its pork dumpling products because their labels did not declare they contained milk and coconut, known allergens. The issue was discovered during a routine plant inspection.

Greater Omaha Packing of Nebraska recalled its raw beef products intended for non-intact use for possible e coli contamination, discovered during a routine product sampling by federal food safety inspectors. Non-intact beef products include beef that has been injected or enhanced with solutions, mechanically tenderized by needling, cubing, or pounding devices, or reconstructed into formed entrees, according to the industry group Beef Research.

Milford, Indiana, Serenade Foods recalled five products containing frozen, raw, breaded, and pre-browned stuffed chicken that may have been contaminated with salmonella. The recall was the result of a federal investigation into a multistate salmonella outbreak in which investigators discovered the pathogen in unopened packages of the chicken product from the home of a person who fell ill.

Willow Tree Poultry Farm of Attleboro, Mississippi, recalled eight products containing white chicken meat because of possible contamination with pieces of hard white plastic. There have been other recalls from different producers due to possible contamination with plastic fragments this year, including one that was traced back to broken paddles used to mix ground beef in the production process.

The Mount Olive, N.J., U.S. subsidiary of the Italian cured meats producer recalled its 24-oz. trays containing two 12-oz. packages of antipasto. The recall was initiated following a federal investigation into a multistate salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 36 people.

The Elk Grove Village, Illinois, food company recalled its 1-pound packages of Empanadas de Pollo Chicken Patties and Carne Beef Patties that were labeled with a false USDA mark of inspection. The problem was discovered from an anonymous tip to federal food safety officials.

The Hayward, California, North American subsidiary of a Japanese frozen food and biotech company recalled the potstickers after consumers complained they contained pieces of clear flexible and hard plastic. The source of the plastic wasn’t disclosed, but a similar recall in November of frozen beef patties by Shamrock Foods found that the bits of plastic were the result of broken plastic paddles used to mix the meat.

Nation Pizza Products Limited, a Schaumberg, Illinois, company owned the U.S. division of Swiss global food giant Nestlé, recalled some of Nestlé‘s popular DiGiorno frozen pizzas for not disclosing textured soy protein, a known allergen, as an ingredient. The problem was discovered when a consumer complained that a DiGiorno three-meat frozen pizza (which contains the allergen) was in a package labeled a pepperoni pizza.

The Mount Olive, North Carolina, company recalled its 2.5-pound and 3-pound ground turkey trays, the latter sold as a Kroger grocery store brand, after the FSIS received consumer complaints that the meat contained pieces of blue plastic. The source of the contaminant remained unknown. A similar recall of ground beef patties from Shamrock Foods on Nov. 15 found that the pieces of plastic came from broken plastic paddles used to mix the ground beef during processing.

Chicago-based Evans Food Group recalled numerous brands of chicharron (fried pork skin) snacks because the pork used to make them had not been inspected. The pork rinds were shipped to Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, and Washington.

The Jacksonville, Florida, company recalled the lamb products because they had not been inspected after being imported into the United States from New Zealand. The lamb was packaged in 33-pound and 39-pound boxes that were shipped to distributors in Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, and New York.

The Freeland, Pennsylvania, U.S. subsidiary of the Italian cured meats maker recalled its 2-oz. packages of “Italian style” salame sticks with “best by” dates through Jan. 23, 2022. An investigation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state officials into a multistate outbreak of 31 salmonella cases found that ill people had consumed the product.

The chicken patties produced by the Kent, Washington, company between Aug. 16 and Sept. 19 and sold at numerous outlets, including Trader Joe’s, were found to contain bits of bone. There were no reports of adverse reactions, but the USDA issued a warning to consumers who might have the meat product in their freezers.

The recall of the company’s raw ground beef patties was initiated after restaurant staff discovered pieces of hard white plastic in the patties during preparation. The plastic were pieces of machine paddles used by the Phoenix food distributor to mix the ground beef, which is then sold to restaurants in 11.25-pound, 12-pound, and 12.25-pound boxes.