The food industry started in the early days as the industrial revolution was starting to pick up. With the invention of new types of machinery and steam-powered engines, it became possible to produce food products in factories in massive quantities with the aid of new technology.

At this time, food scientists have started to conduct studies and research on how to improve food quality, shelf life, food packaging, and sterilization processes.

With the collective effort of food scientists and entrepreneurs, food products have reached a new level and more concepts and ideas of food production have been implemented. 

Today, the food industry is one of the active markets due to the huge demand for food due to the increasing population.

There are also a ton of different food products in the market today and several brand names have established themselves as frontrunners for producing specific food products.

Nevertheless, there are some cases where food products are mishandled during production, and these defective products sometimes manage to pass through the quality inspection and make it to the grocery shelves.

Some consumers buy these defects and this may sometimes cause bad effects on their health.

Since these products are produced in hundreds per batch, many people will be affected if they bought these products, leading to an issue with the company.

This causes the companies to suffer a huge loss in their sales.

If there are additional health code violations found in the products, it may cause serious legal charges against the companies, so these companies are forced to recall their products from the market and stop producing them completely.

These food recalls are the most serious offenses in the food industry and this can also affect the status of the economy.

With a food recall in a certain product, similar brands will be affected and public opinion will also be affected.

Throughout the years, food recalls have occurred and it has made the headlines since public health is a very sensitive issue.

In this article, we will learn about the biggest food recalls and how they affected the market and economy

Peanut Corporation of America Recalls Products Due to Salmonella

Peanut

The Peanut Corporation of America is a company that focused on peanut processing and produced products such as peanut butter, peanuts, and peanut paste.

Their products were shipped all over the country and to many grocery stores. Ice cream factories, cookie producers, snacks factories, and pet food manufacturers were also one of their biggest clients.

The company flourished in 2007, boasting $25 million in revenue, and it was reportedly producing 2.5% of the peanut supply in the United States.

However, in late 2008, the company faced a large setback due to the outbreak of salmonella in their peanut products.

At the start of 2009, 9 people had already died from food poisoning due to the consumption of their products, and 714 people were reported to have fallen ill. 

Due to these events, the company recalled all its products, halted all its operations, and was eventually bankrupt.

At the height of these events, peanut products took a toll on sales and most people were wary of buying peanuts and food with peanuts for fear of contracting the harmful bacteria.

Not only were peanut products affected, but products such as trail mix, cookies, pet food, and ice cream experienced losses. 

Salmonella Outbreak from Farm Eggs of Wright County and Hillandale Farm

Salmonella

Salmonella outbreaks are also common with poultry products. A popular case of this is a salmonella outbreak that was identified in farm eggs produced by two companies in Iowa.

The Wright County Egg Farm was once leading in the United States when it comes to poultry products, mainly chicken, and had a property size of almost 15 million chickens.

This farm also produced eggs which were shipped to other states.

Unfortunately, the company was hit with a salmonella outbreak that contaminated their egg products, and the company was forced to recall over 380 million orders of chicken eggs, which dealt a huge blow to the company’s earnings.

A similar case was reported on a farm, also in Iowa, which was the Hillandale Farm. The company had to recall 170 million eggs and suffered losses from their clients in 14 states.

The issues sparked national awareness of salmonella outbreaks and the public was inclined to avoid poultry products, which affected the prices of chicken meat and eggs drastically.

Cake Mix with Harmful E. coli Strain from Betty Croker Recalled

Cake Mix

Betty Crocker is one of the most famous brands in cooking. The brand is owned by General Mills, Inc. and it has been a classic American cultural icon.

The brand was used for Betty Crocker cake mix products which were very popular across the U.S. and Canada since it was convenient and easy to cook.

In 2016, a recall was announced on two brand products of this cake mix since these products were observed to be carrying a harmful strain of the E.coli bacteria.

Almost 30 million pounds of flour mix was recalled and the possible source of the outbreak was identified at their production facility in Missouri.

This news greatly affected the sales of flour-based products such as cakes, bread, and other pastries.

The market saw a deep fluctuation in the demand for these products and the prices also plummeted during this period.

The company also faced several charges regarding this issue and law firms were quite busy at that time handling the cases. Consumers need to be aware of current product recalls and their local health systems.

For more information on this issue, Schmidt & Clark law firm has a more extensive article regarding this news. 

Menu Foods Recall Pet Food Products; Animal Tests Failed

cat and dog food

Pet food products are also susceptible to contamination. One of the biggest recalls in food products happened in 2007, when Menu Foods, a pet food manufacturer, recalled more than 90 dog food and cat food brands collectively.

This was because the FDA was getting almost 10,000 reports about animals getting sick after consuming food products released by Menu Foods.

The animals that consumed the “cuts and gravy” style of dog food and cat food were reported to experience kidney failure problems. Over 14 deaths (13 cats, 1 dog) were recorded during this issue and the company was forced to face the consequences of its errors.

This issue caused a huge setback in dog food and cat food markets, as many pet owners became reluctant to buy manufactured pet food.

It is always vital for pet owners to be aware of potential issues affecting their fur babies.