Food recalls
Food recalls in May 2020
The FDA listed 24 food recalls in its May 2020 Enforcement Reports, 12 fewer than in April 2020 (36) and 31 fewer than in May 2019 (55). 9 were Class I, the most serious kind. The most common reason was allergen not on the label (11).
Food recalls
24
Reports through May 27, 2020
Class I, the most serious
9
Could cause serious harm or death
April 2020
36
55 in May 2019
Every food recall in May 2020
Newest first, by the date of the weekly FDA Enforcement Report that first listed it. FDA's own words are in quotes.
-
Class I (most serious)
Condies Foods, Inc. (Salt Lake City, UT): 43559 SNDW Chicken Sandwich on White Single, vacuumed pack bag, Clam shell (2 products)
Allergen not on the label. “Undeclared SOY allergen. Wrong ingredient purchased and used.”
-
Class I (most serious)
Mellace Family Brands California Inc (Warren, OH): Wegmans brand Semi-Sweet Chocolate Nonpareils in an 18.5 oz
Allergen not on the label. “Product may contain undeclared milk allergen.”
-
Class I (most serious)
Ramar International Corporation (Pittsburg, CA): Peekaboo Ice Cream + hidden Veggies
Listeria. “Ice cream that tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes was to be held and destroyed but was found on retail shelves.”
-
Class II
Frito-Lay, Inc. (Plano, TX): Lay's French Onion dip 15 oz (4 products)
Other germs or toxins (botulism, hepatitis A, mold...). “Potential to be contaminated with mold”
-
Class II
Ricker Hill Farms, Inc. (Turner, ME): RICKER HILL ORCHARDS APPLE CIDER McIntosh Blend
“Product contains high levels of patulin.”
-
Class II
Willamette Valley Pie Company, LLC. (Silverton, OR): Willamette Valley Pie Company Raspberry Rhubarb Pie (2 products)
Allergen not on the label. “Raspberry Rhubarb Pie packages were recalled due to undeclared artificial almond. The actual product inside a clamshell package is Cherry Pie, which contains artificial almond extract, but it was mislabeled as Raspberry Rhubarb Pie. The Rhubarb Pie label does not declare artificial almond extract.”
-
Class I (most serious)
Whole Foods Market (Austin, TX): Whole Foods Market Queso Sauce PLU code printed on the product scale labels beginning with 74135 sold in clear...
Allergen not on the label. “May contain undeclared cashews (tree nut)”
-
Class II
Essential Baking Company, The (Seattle, WA): The product is twisted bread and packaged in a flexible plastic bag with a yellow Kwik-Lok seal
Allergen not on the label. “Undeclared egg. Challah bread was mislabeled as Columbia Sliced bread and the label does not declare egg.”
-
Class II
Middle East Bakery, Inc. (Lawrence, MA): Joseph's Gluten Free Original Wrap
“Gluten free wrap contains gluten”
-
Class II
Natural Dairy Products (Newark, DE): Natural by Nature 1 % Milk (gallon (3 products)
“A sample of the product was found to be positive with Antibiotic Residue.”
-
Class III (least serious)
Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc (Monterey, CA): Hearts of Romaine (2 products)
Labeling, packaging or manufacturing problems. “Critical Control Point (CCP) deviation associated with wash process, low levels of chlorine wash, affected product was sent to distribution chain.”
-
Class I (most serious)
Jason Pharmaceuticals, Inc. t/a Medifast (Owings Mills, MD): Optavia, Old Fashioned Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal
Allergen not on the label. “The product contains undeclared milk.”
-
Class I (most serious)
Royal International Trading Inc. (Brooklyn, NY): TAINY BOCTOKA DRY FRUITS MIX COMPOT APPLE
Other ingredient not on the label (sulfites, dyes...). “Product contains undeclared sulfites.”
-
Class II
Aldi Inc (Batavia, IL): Simply Nature Organic Red Split Lentils (2 products)
Allergen not on the label. “Product may contain undeclared wheat”
-
Class II
Glaxosmithkline Consumer Healthcare Holdings (Warren, NJ): Benefiber Healthy Shape Prebiotic Fiber Supplement (2 products)
Metal, plastic, glass or other objects. “Fiber prebiotic product potentially contaminated with small plastic pieces”
-
Class II
La Sonorense, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ): 12" (3 products)
Allergen not on the label. “The product does not properly display the list of ingredients and contains undeclared wheat.”
-
Class I (most serious)
Freedman Food Service, Inc dba Buckhead Meat & Seafood of Houston (Houston, TX): 7075931 Flounder Stuffed W/ Seafood FRZN (2 products)
Allergen not on the label. “Product may contain undeclared Milk (whey listed in ingredients)”
-
Class I (most serious)
Homestead Creamery, Inc. (Wirtz, VA): Homestead Creamery Unsalted Butter
Listeria. “Unsalted butter has potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.”
-
Class I (most serious)
Whole Foods Market (Austin, TX): Whole Foods Market Minestrone Soup PLU code printed on the product scale labels beginning with 248529 for soup sold...
Allergen not on the label. “May contain undeclared milk”
-
Class II
Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. (Lakeville, MA): 5.5 oz cans of Ocean Spray Pink Lite Cranberry Juice Drink
Other ingredient not on the label (sulfites, dyes...). “Product contains undeclared sulfites.”
-
Class II
Tops Markets Inc. (Williamsville, NY): Tops Mint Flavor Pure Dark Chocolate 45% Cocoa NET WT 3.5 oz.(100g)
Allergen not on the label. “Dark Chocolate mint bar contains undeclared milk”
-
Class III (least serious)
Alfa Vitamins Laboratories, Inc. (Miami, FL): CALCI-MAX Dietary Supplement
Labeling, packaging or manufacturing problems. “FDA sample analysis of Calci-Max lot 31453 showed the product zinc content to be 0.0% of label claim.”
-
Class III (least serious)
GOLDEN NUTRITION INC (Opa Locka, FL): Biotin 1000mcg, Dietary Supplement
Labeling, packaging or manufacturing problems. “FDA sample analysis of Biotin 1000mg Lot #1345 showed the product Biotin content to be 0.8% of label claim.”
-
Class III (least serious)
Rong Shing Trading NY Inc (Brooklyn, NY): XinXing Dried Plum
Labeling, packaging or manufacturing problems. “Product contains dried peaches, but front labeling of product stated dried plums”
Why food was recalled in May 2020
Chartly groups FDA's written reasons by their key words; each recall counts once, under its first matching reason.
| Reason | Recalls |
|---|---|
| Allergen not on the label | 11 |
| Labeling, packaging or manufacturing problems | 4 |
| Listeria | 2 |
| Other ingredient not on the label (sulfites, dyes...) | 2 |
| Metal, plastic, glass or other objects | 1 |
| Other germs or toxins (botulism, hepatitis A, mold...) | 1 |
Get new charts weekly
One email a week with the newest charts and their key numbers. No account needed.
Source and notes
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Enforcement Reports (openFDA food recall data) (Public domain (U.S. government work); source U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA), data as of May 27, 2020.
Each week the FDA lists the recalls it has classified in its Enforcement Report, often weeks after the company announced the recall, so a month with five weekly reports tends to count more. Each recall counts once, however many products it covers, in the month FDA first listed it. Class I means the food could cause serious harm or death, Class II temporary or minor harm, and Class III is unlikely to harm anyone. Meat, poultry and most egg products are recalled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, not the FDA, and aren't included. For what to do with a recalled product, see the FDA's recalls page.