The Worst Food Recalls of 2015
:upscale()/2015/12/14/039/n/1922195/b42ef98b_edit_img_cover_file_39402952_1450130578_chipotle-sofritas.jpg)
Yikes, this year it felt like every one of our favorite brands was hit hard by a recall or closure, from big brands like Kraft and independent owners like Amy's Kitchen to Chipotle and Starbucks. Wondering which one really was the worst? Take a quick look at the ranking.
:upscale()/2015/12/14/960/n/1922195/6c3d61dd8ab7b881_0aa4e1ad_81AuA-hwU1L._SL1500_.xxxlarge_2x.jpg)
Kraft voluntarily recalled 242,000 cases of its Macaroni & Cheese Dinner due to small pieces of metal. There was no Kraft dinner on store shelves for weeks.
:upscale()/2015/12/14/042/n/1922195/3c44b378_chipotle-sofritas.jpg)
It has been a rough, rough year for Chipotle. First, there was the E. coli outbreak, which closed 43 stores. Then, norovirus closed a Boston location. ¿Qué pasó, Chipotle?
:upscale()/2015/12/14/969/n/1922195/891969740b259a0a_cbe7094b_sabra.xxxlarge.jpg)
Sabra Dipping Co. recalled 30,000 cases of its Classic Hummus because of the potential presence of listeria in several samples. Thank goodness TJ's wasn't affected . . .
:upscale()/2015/12/14/020/n/1922195/4bde9703bfbdafa3_9af929f8e0e9210c_Baked-Buffalo-Wings-THUMB.xxxlarge_2x.jpg)
Costco's celery-onion mix wrecked havoc across the States as it tested positive for E. coli. Nineteen people were hospitalized, and big chains like Starbucks had to pull products from their shelves.
:upscale()/2015/12/14/014/n/1922195/ab59b4896eb4c82b_433cf336_spinach_main.jpg)
Ugh, and then there was our go-to frozen food company, Amy's Kitchen, which recalled 73,897 cases of products containing organic spinach. Its supplier claimed the spinach was contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.
:upscale()/ps-image-unavailable.png)
Kayem Foods pulled 59,203 pounds of fully cooked chicken sausage products from store shelves — also due to small pieces of plastic. As a result, Trader Joe's recalled its Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage.
:upscale()/2015/12/14/016/n/1922195/1500952b2b9f77ba_HomemadeVanilla_box.jpg)
Blue Bell's recall was really horrible. Three people died due to a listeria contamination in the ice cream. The company recalled all of its products, and it took the better part of the year before Blue Bell returned to store freezers.
:upscale()/2015/12/14/026/n/1922195/6276928a6127e831_a80db654_00038-TrkyBcnSelects-052314.xxxlarge.jpg)
Kraft Heinz recalled over 2 million pounds of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon, straight up because customers complained the meat was spoiled when the opened the packaging. Yuck.
Kraft voluntary recalled 350,000 boxes of both American and White American cheese Singles due to small pieces of plastic (which could be a choking hazard).
:upscale()/2015/12/14/023/n/1922195/6250c03870cd1739_wegmans-water-434da2f5a260995f.jpg)
Not even bottled water was unscathed. Niagara Bottling voluntarily recalled 14 brands of bottled water for potential E. coli contamination, including Wegmans, ShopRite, Niagara, and Nature's Place.
Just like Blue Bell's, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams issued a voluntary recall of "all products bearing the 'Jeni's' brand name because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes." It too took the company months before it could reopen for business.
The FDA banned cilantro grown in Mexico, following hundreds of cyclosporiasis cases in Texas. The cause? Fecal contamination. Disgusting!
:upscale()/2015/12/14/008/n/1922195/d5e2eb51216ae3a4_c9436c4fe3d38691_Tyson-chicken-nuggets-recall-jpg.jpg)
Tyson Foods voluntarily recalled its Sam's Club five-pound bags of fully cooked, frozen white meat nuggets after little pieces of plastic were found.
:upscale()/2015/12/14/965/n/1922195/c80d6b4488a0b7b4_Trail-Mix.jpg)
A peanut contamination in Adams Food cumin led to "the most widespread series of allergy-related recalls." Hundreds of products were pulled from store shelves.