Massive Potato Recalls That Swept Across The US

Yahoo

12-06-2025

Much like the versatility of potatoes, the reasons they've faced recalls over the years have been varied. The tuberous vegetable so often associated with Irish tragedy traces its roots back to the Americas, and from there it has become a staple in kitchens across the globe. As such, its integration into a plethora of cultural cuisines has allowed for popularity to grow and, as a result of widespread production, made potato-loaded goods rife with recalls.
Enjoyed by people of all ages as part of a meal or a snack, fan favorite sides like mashed potatoes, potato salads, and hash browns have faced problems of minor and major concern. While some recalls involving branding issues and the slightest possibility of contact with bacteria have been exercised out of an abundance of caution, some instances have been linked to actual injury and death. Below you'll see how often bits of plastic, rubber, and even glass have been the ruin of supplies of pierogis and baby food, and why you won't find them on any list of unique toppings for baked potatoes.
Read more: Mistakes You Should Avoid When Cooking Potatoes In An Air Fryer
Considered the potato capital of the world, Idaho is home to both the best spuds for crispy homemade fries and to Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. Based outside Boise, the company is a global powerhouse in producing frozen potato products with its list of accounts including the likes of Burger King, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Popeye's, and Taco Bell. The considerable size amounted to a hash brown recall triggered in April 2025 having an enormous footprint. In fact, as cases of hash brown patties were counted by the thousands, the presence of plastic pieces in the food reached well overseas.
In addition to product shipped to Arizona and Hawaii, Lamb Weston's recall stretched to Japan, Kuwait, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates as the matter was considered a Class II recall under the FDA's classification system. The nearly 35,000 cases of hash brown patties impacted by the 1 millimeter to 8 millimeter pieces of plastic amounted to over 730,000 pounds of food. Despite discovering the plastic on four separate product lines, only hash brown patties were included in the recall.
In recent years, undeclared milk has been a repeated issue for Frito-Lay potato chips as products under the Lay's and Ruffles brands have been recalled. While a common cause had previously been reported, the December 2024 recall of Lay's Classic Potato Chips offered no such clarity, even as the FDA upgraded the recall to its most severe classification, "Class I."
Unlike the lower classifications where exposure is deemed "not likely" or health consequences are considered "remote," the "Class I" rating conveys a "reasonable probability" of a reaction for those allergic to milk. Over 6,000 bags of chips were part of the recall of product distributed in Washington and Oregon. Previous recalls in 2019, 2020, and 2021 were explained by the Plano, Texas-based company as having resulted from the packaging of chips in bags intended to contain other flavors. The combined extent of the recalls impacted more than half the states in the country.
Though varying in size and shape, as well as the kind of dough used to make them, the Russian-style pirozhki are quite similar to pierogi in their sweet and savory iterations. Additionally, they are equally susceptible to presenting an allergen risk as happened in August 2024. Based out of Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York, different flavors of M&P Food Production Ltd. pirozhki, vareniki, and blintzes were recalled after an inspection from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that the products' labels did not list the allergen risks from milk, sesame, and wheat.
The extent of the recall stretched back to the previous August as the myriad cabbage, cheese, fruit, and potato products had been distributed over the course of a year and had freshness dates reaching ahead to August 2025. In addition to hitting retail stores in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York, the pirozhki had also been distributed to stores in Northeasterners home away from home, Florida.
A popular side dish for hamburgers and hot dogs alike, potato salad is often a crowdpleaser at summertime cookouts and picnics. Unfortunately for freedom fans in the Lone Star State, America's birthday had a bit of a letdown in 2024 when products were pulled off store shelves over a foreign contaminant. Unlike Hy-Vee's voluntary recall on the cusp of Independence Day, Reser's Fine Foods decision had nothing to do with a potential microbial risk, but rather concern over the potential presence of hard plastic.
Two days before the holiday, the Beaverton, Oregon-based manufacturer of Hill Country Fare Mustard Potato Salad announced that the product was getting removed from H-E-B and Joe V's Smart Shop's throughout the state of Texas. While no injuries had been reported after the risk had been identified in the three pound containers, Reser's sought to keep it that way and encouraged consumers with questions to contact the company directly.
Busy schedules often call for ready-made options, especially at breakfast time. However, residents across the southwest came upon a speed bump in their morning routine in May 2024 when over 10,000 boxes of Breakfast Potato Bakes were recalled due to a potential bacterial contamination. Produced by New Classic Cooking LLC's Avenel, New Jersey facility, the Veggies Made Great brand breakfast food may have come in contact with listeria monocytogenes. As a result, the broccoli cheddar option of the four varieties was recalled with a warning for consumers that symptoms could take more than two months to manifest.
Advertised as "not your average hashbrown" and ready to eat within as little as six minutes from an air fryer, the baked not fried product left consumers on edge for weeks out of concern that they might have been exposed to the life-threatening pathogen. Still, there were no reports of exposure from shoppers in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.
Over the years, the popularity of some restaurants has warranted a retail expansion for fans to get a taste of their favorite eatery from the comfort of their kitchen table. In addition to grocery stores selling Olive Garden's Signature Italian Salad Dressing and Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, which offered its own unexpected uses, customers could enjoy Bob Evan's Original Mashed Potatoes at home — that is when they weren't under recall as a result of a foreign contaminant.
The 410 cases that were distributed to eight states from Wisconsin to Vermont each contained six units of two pound containers of mashed potatoes. That brought the sum total of the March 2024 recall to nearly 5,000 pounds after red plastic was reportedly discovered in the food. As a press release had not accompanied the recall, there was no explanation as to how the plastic may have wound up in the food or who was responsible for discovering the contaminant.
Based out of Hanover, Pennsylvania, Utz Brands Inc. has expanded from a potato chip making business out of the founders' home to a nationwide snack company partnering with professional sports teams and leagues like the MLB. While New York's Mets and Yankees were in the midst of their winter break, a seasoning mistake resulted in 1,200 bags of chips, mostly distributed to New York City, getting pulled from stores over an allergen risk.
The January 2024 recall had been prompted when Utz realized the bags of Wavy Original Potato Chips had been filled with the seasoning flavored variation. As a result, the packaging did not include a warning for those suffering from a milk allergy. Like other food allergies, symptoms impact the digestive and respiratory systems and, in the most severe cases, can prove life-threatening. The company advised any consumers who had purchased the chips in question to discard the product and reach out to the company for a refund.
In America's heartland, Independence Day was front of mind for Hy-Vee Inc. when it made the decision to recall variations of its potato salad while awaiting test results. On July 1, 2022, the West Des Moines, Iowa-based company announced that it was presuming a positive microbial result in justifying the recall of all Hy-Vee Potato Salad and Mealtime Potato Salad that had been shipped throughout Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
While the results were expected to take seven to 10 days, Hy-Vee elected to assume the worst of the product that had expiration dates that extended through until August 4, 2022. The Friday announcement from the company specifically cited the holiday weekend traditionally celebrated with barbecue as it made clear that only the Hy-Vee and Mealtime potato salads were part of the recall. Other products like chicken salad, American macaroni salad, and spring pasta salad were still available at the time of the recall.
When it comes to the spread of bacteria like listeria monocytogenes, prepared goods aren't the only products at risk. Whole foods are just as susceptible to contamination and in August 2020 red potatoes and citrus fruit were part of a recall that reached five states. Under the brand names Freshouse, Fresh From the Start, Natures Promise, and Wegmans, the Salisbury, North Carolina facility of Freshouse II issued a recall on retail and wholesale size bags of produce.
The precautionary measure came about after routine testing discovered the bacteria at the facility where the potatoes, lemons, limes, and oranges were packaged. Bags from 1 pound in size to 50 pounds had been shipped to the Carolinas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia only to be recalled without any reports of illness. Understanding that even mild symptoms leave the infected with incapacitating symptoms, Freshouse acknowledged that it actively reevaluates efforts to maintain sanitary conditions in its facilities.
The food-borne illness listeriosis has been behind a number of deadly outbreaks over the years after products tainted with the bacteria listeria monocytogenes made it to market. In December 2019, a source connection for potato salad and egg salad was cause enough for Trader Joe's to pull its products off store shelves in 29 states and Washington, D.C.
Though the 6 ounce packages of egg salad and 20 ounce packages of potato salad were not part of any customer complaints of illness, the manufacture of those products had been tied to a facility under investigation as a potential source of bacteria following the death of at least one person. Almark Foods' Gainesville, George facility had produced pails of Broken Egg Whites provided to Trader Joe's that were believed to have been contaminated with the dangerous bacteria. Those most at risk included young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and anyone with compromised immune systems.
As popular a combo as a burger and French fries is, the pairing is hardly the only way to enjoy a potato with a hands-on meal. Some restaurants and sandwich shops prefer to offer their customers potato chips, instead. So it was that businesses and snackers alike were impacted in July 2018 when Utz Quality Foods, LLC. issued a voluntary recall on one of the chip flavors after bags posing an allergen risk were shipped to 30 states and the nation's capital.
A labeling error for the 2.875 ounce and 7.5 ounce bags of Carolina Style Barbeque Potato Chips alike had resulted when the product hit retail locations across the country without declaring the presence of soy. Though the reason for extra air in bags can be explained without a disclaimer, ingredients presenting health risks need to be listed. While mild reactions include itching and digestive issues for those suffering from the allergy, the most severe allergies can present as anaphylaxis where the victim may experience trouble breathing and a drop in blood pressure.
Be it the brush, a water feature, or a sand trap, golfers are accustomed to dealing with their balls winding up where they don't want them while playing a round. The same can't be said for those away from the fairway — especially after heeding tips for the perfect hash browns. Unfortunately for fans of the crispy breakfast food, a harvesting issue had resulted in potatoes tainted with plastic and rubber used in the manufacture of golf balls.
Days after McCain Foods USA, Inc. had announced the recall of Harris Teeter and Roundy's brand hash browns, the list was expanded to include Wegmans brand O'Brien hash browns distributed to its retail locations. All told, the recall stretched across the East Coast from Massachusetts down to Florida. While the Canadian-based company assured that food safety remained its "top priority," no explanation had been given at the time as to how the golf ball material had wound up with the potato crop, or how it had made it from the harvest all the way to the consumer.
Parents, especially those living through their first experience with a child, have plenty to worry about in protecting their precious bundle of joy. Between the potential for allergies and colic alone, the last thing they need is something extra to fret over when it comes to their babies safety. That was exactly what happened in April 2015 though when a recall was triggered on nearly 2,000 pounds of baby food over the presence of glass.
Produced in Amsterdam, New York, in December 2014, the problem with Beech-Nut Nutrition's Beech Nut Classics Sweet Potato & Chicken product was only discovered after the company had received a report of an oral injury. Evidently, a small piece of glass had been found in one of the 4 ounce glass jars and, though there had only been the one report, the safety concern was more than enough to justify recalling all the product that shared the same USDA inspection mark.
Traveling from the new world to the old and back again, potato had joined cheese, fruit, meat, and other fillings in adding to the variety of pierogis. However, it was the ingredients that weren't listed that caused a problem for Kasia's Deli Inc. in November 2014 that led to a recall of over 2,000 pounds of the products. Trays of the Polana Potato and Bacon Pierogi were included on a list with beef and chicken pierogis that were shipped out without disclosing they contained eggs, milk, soy, and wheat.
Manufactured at Kasia's Deli's Chicago, Illinois facility, the discovery of the unlisted allergens had been made by an investigator with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) during one of the agency's routine inspections. Though no complaints of adverse reactions had been filed, the Polish-style dumplings were pulled from store shelves to eliminate the public health risk.
Few things can ruin a meal as fast as discovering something in your food that isn't supposed to be there — a reality that applies to both dining out and eating at home. So it's understandable that complaints began pouring into Wegmans Food Markets in November 2011 after packages of mashed sweet potatoes were said to have included the unsavory addition of bits of white plastic.
Between late September and early November, more than 2,600 of the 24 ounce packages of mashed spuds produced in Wheeling, Illinois had reached stores and, thereafter, homes of consumers across Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. As it happened, the use by date for the product was November 18, 2011, nearly an entire week before the Thanksgiving holiday that year, which fell on November 24. While the source of the plastic had been unknown and no injuries had been reported, customers had the option of returning the recalled sweet potatoes to any of the New York-based grocery store's locations.
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Read the original article on Food Republic.