How Corn And Onions Sparked The Largest US Food Recall Of 2018

Published in Food and Wine on Wednesday, August 6th 2025 at 19:42 GMT by Mashed
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Imagine trying to count from one to 99 million. That number seems impossibly large, right? That's how many pounds of food were impacted in this recall.

How Corn and Onions Ignited the Largest U.S. Food Recall in Over a Decade

In a stunning escalation of food safety concerns, a routine contamination alert involving frozen corn and onions has ballooned into what experts are calling the largest food recall in the United States in more than ten years. The saga began quietly in late October when federal health officials detected traces of listeria monocytogenes in batches of frozen vegetables produced by McCain Foods, a major international supplier based in Canada. What started as a targeted recall of specific corn and onion products quickly snowballed, ensnaring hundreds of popular consumer brands and forcing supermarkets nationwide to pull thousands of items from their shelves. This incident not only highlights the vulnerabilities in the global food supply chain but also underscores the potential health risks lurking in everyday frozen goods that millions of Americans rely on for quick meals.

The root of the problem traces back to McCain Foods' processing facility in Illinois, where routine testing by the company uncovered the presence of listeria in frozen diced onions and corn kernels. Listeria is a resilient bacterium that can survive freezing temperatures and thrive in moist environments, making it particularly insidious in processed foods. Unlike many pathogens that are killed by cooking, listeria can persist even in products meant to be heated, posing a severe threat to vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms of listeriosis, the illness caused by the bacterium, include fever, muscle aches, nausea, and in severe cases, meningitis or even death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that listeria sickens about 1,600 people annually in the U.S., with around 260 fatalities.

What made this recall unprecedented in scale was the sheer breadth of products affected. McCain Foods supplies ingredients to a vast network of food manufacturers, meaning the contaminated onions and corn weren't just sold in bags under the McCain label. Instead, they were incorporated into an array of ready-to-eat and frozen meals distributed by giants like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Aldi, among others. The recall list reads like a grocery store inventory: everything from frozen vegetable medleys and stir-fry kits to pre-packaged salads, soups, and even pet foods. For instance, Trader Joe's recalled its popular Lemony Arugula Basil Salad Kit and Multigrain Crackers with Hummus, both of which contained the suspect onions. Whole Foods pulled several 365-brand items, including organic frozen corn and mixed vegetables. Even lesser-known brands like Good & Gather from Target and Signature Select from Albertsons were implicated, expanding the recall's reach into virtually every corner of the American pantry.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC moved swiftly to coordinate the response, issuing public alerts and working with retailers to trace the contaminated lots. By early November, the recall had grown to encompass over 200 distinct products, affecting millions of pounds of food. This dwarfs previous high-profile recalls, such as the 2018 romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak or the 2021 Jif peanut butter salmonella scare, in terms of the number of brands involved and the geographic spread. Industry analysts point to the interconnectedness of modern food production as a key factor. A single supplier like McCain can service dozens of companies, creating a domino effect when contamination occurs. "This is a wake-up call for the industry," noted one food safety expert in discussions surrounding the event. "We're seeing how a problem in one factory can ripple out to affect consumers across the country, and even internationally."

Consumers were urged to check their freezers and discard any potentially affected items, with detailed lot codes and expiration dates provided on the FDA's website. Retailers offered refunds, and some chains, like Walmart and Costco, implemented enhanced screening for incoming shipments to prevent future issues. The economic impact is staggering: estimates suggest the recall could cost the industry tens of millions in lost sales, disposal fees, and legal liabilities. McCain Foods itself issued a statement expressing regret and emphasizing their commitment to safety protocols, including enhanced testing and sanitation measures at the implicated plant. However, questions linger about how the contamination evaded initial quality controls. Investigations revealed that the listeria strain matched samples from previous outbreaks, suggesting possible persistent issues in the facility's environment, such as biofilms in processing equipment that are notoriously hard to eradicate.

This event also shines a light on broader systemic challenges in food safety regulation. The FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act, enacted in 2011, aimed to shift the focus from reactive recalls to preventive controls, but enforcement has been hampered by limited resources and the sheer volume of imported and processed foods. Frozen vegetables, in particular, have been a hotspot for outbreaks; a 2016 listeria incident linked to CRF Frozen Foods resulted in nine deaths and hundreds of illnesses, leading to that company's bankruptcy. In this latest case, no illnesses have been directly linked to the McCain products as of the recall's announcement, which experts attribute to the proactive nature of the detection. Still, the potential for harm remains, and public health officials are monitoring for any related cases.

Beyond the immediate fallout, the recall has sparked discussions about consumer awareness and the need for better labeling. Many shoppers are unaware that their favorite frozen meal might contain ingredients from multiple suppliers, complicating traceability. Advocacy groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest are calling for stricter supply chain transparency, including mandatory origin labeling for all ingredients. "Consumers deserve to know where their food comes from, especially when it comes to high-risk items like frozen produce," argued a spokesperson for the group.

As the dust settles, the McCain recall serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of our food system. It illustrates how something as innocuous as a bag of frozen corn or diced onions can trigger a nationwide crisis, affecting everything from family dinners to school lunches. While the industry scrambles to contain the damage, the incident prompts a deeper reflection on how to fortify defenses against invisible threats in our increasingly complex global marketplace. For now, Americans are left sifting through their freezers, hoping that this massive recall marks the end of the ordeal rather than the beginning of a larger health scare. (Word count: 912)

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How Corn And Onions Sparked The Largest US Food Recall Of 2018

How Corn and Onions Ignited the Largest U.S. Food Recall in Over a Decade