Label Omissions Are to Blame for Many Food RecallsLabel Omissions Are to Blame for Many Food Recalls

Packaging-related errors, particularly around ingredient labeling, contributed to scores of food recalls in 2024, affecting brands in virtually every food category and brand owners of all sizes.

So far this year, the FDA has identified nearly 200 food and beverage recalls using corporate press releases and other public notices about products the agency regulates. Separately, the USDA monitors recalls for foods under its jurisdiction; these include meat, poultry, and processed-egg products.

Of the food recalls on FDA’s list, more than 80 were related to packaging errors. Approximately 90 were caused by contamination with pathogens and spoilage organisms such as listeria, salmonella, Clostridium botulinum, E. coli, and mold.

The preponderance of packaging-related recalls were driven by failure to disclose allergens on labels, aka undeclared allergens.

The most common undeclared allergens were peanuts, wheat, soy, egg, milk, sesame, sulfites, and tree nuts. The latter included almonds, pecans, cashew, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios. In a handful of cases, fish or coconut was the undisclosed culprit.

One of the highest profile packaging-related food recalls of the year occurred in October, when Littlefield, TX-based Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest initiated a voluntary recall of nearly 80,000 pounds of Kirkland butter, based on an undeclared allergen.

Related:FDA Redefines ‘Healthy’ Food Claim on Packaging

Bizarrely, the allergen was milk. According to the FDA, the products were recalled because their packaging “lists cream, but may be missing the Contains Milk statement.”

Consumers used social media to criticize and lampoon the recall, noting the absurdity of recalling butter for lacking “milk” on its packaging.

The recalled products comprised 46,800 pounds of Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter and 32,400 pounds of Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter in 16-ounce packs of four 4-oz sticks.

Click through the slideshow to see a handful of other alarming recalls, from Popsicles to potato salad.