The Biggest Food Recalls In The Fresh Market History

The Fresh Market is a grocery store that can be found mostly on the eastern side of the United States. It is known for providing a wide array of brands, restaurant-quality meals, international items, and a great butcher and bakery. The store is also known to be a tad more expensive than other grocery stores, and because of that, the customers should expect the best possible quality from the food.

Food recalls are done by the FDA when a product is found to be in violation of the standards that the FDA holds. There are many different reasons that foods can be recalled, including but not limited to certain bacteria being present in the food, the presence of foreign objects that aren't meant to be ingested, allergens that weren't listed on the nutrition panel, parasites, and more.

When a recall happens, it is usually announced on the store's website that sells the items, in the news if it is a commonly sold item, and it will be on the FDA's website as well. It can be incredibly important to pay attention to recalls because consuming the foods that are being recalled can cause great danger to your health.

Like any other grocery store, The Fresh Market has had its share of recalled food items. We're here to tell you some of the biggest ones that have happened in recent years. Make sure to always stay up to date on food recalls to protect your and your family's health.

Totally Cool recalled many of its ice cream products in June of 2024. This brand has been creating and selling ice cream products for over twenty years, and has many delicious products available under different brands: Chipwich, Dolcezza, and Marco. Dolcezza isn't commonly found in grocery stores, so many people specifically go to The Fresh Market to grab their favorite gelato. Chipwich and Marco are more commonly found in grocery stores like Acme and Target.

There were 11 total products recalled, including different flavors of ice cream/gelato pints and ice cream sandwiches. The reason for this recall was because of possible Listeria monocytogenes, which is a type of bacteria that can cause incredibly serious and potentially fatal infections especially among young children, immunocompromised people, and the elderly. Symptoms tend to mimic that of a stomach flu and include diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain.

After the FDA discovered the bacteria in a sample of the Totally Cool products, the company halted production and distribution of its products. Luckily, no illnesses were reported, so the FDA did its job by catching the problem before anyone got hurt. Listeria can be found in many types of products, and it most recently has been linked to deli meat. There have been many reports in the news about it, so the FDA is really looking out for traces of Listeria in all products.

Lundberg Family Farms is a company that specializes in rice products. The website even boasts on the front page, "rice obsessed since 1937". Large varieties of rice, quinoa, rice cakes, chips, rice syrup, and other products are manufactured by the company. You can find Lundberg Farms products in many stores, like Whole Foods, Acme, Wegmans and of course, The Fresh Market.

The website states, "From day one, we've been committed to growing our crops responsibly, sustainably and deliciously." However, that statement comes with a bit of skepticism after its rice recall in May of 2024. The wild rice blend was recalled due to a "possible presence of a foreign object," according to the Fresh Market's product recall website page.

After more digging, however, we found that this apparent foreign object was from a contamination that came from a rodent origin. Yup, you read that right. This type of recall is considered a Class II recall by the FDA, which is defined as "a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote."

Apparently, over 27,000 bags were recalled when this contamination was discovered. We don't know about you, but we definitely don't want the word "rodent" to be anywhere near our food.

Martinelli's is a trusted juice brand that serves its products in glass bottles, immediately making your subconscious believe that the product is fancier than it is. The company has been operating for 156 years, since 1868. To make the products, it uses apples grown in the United States that are then cold pressed into juice. The juice is then pasteurized, which ensures a quality product that will last.

Martinelli's even has state of the art facilities where it makes its product under special conditions and great care. We were a bit surprised to read that its latest recall was due to elevated levels of inorganic arsenic. Not only is it alarming that this product with arsenic made its way to The Fresh Market's shelves, but that the product itself is usually consumed by families. Would you want your family to be consuming arsenic? We don't think so.

Arsenic, specifically when it's inorganic like what was found in the Martinelli's apple juice, can be highly toxic. It can cause cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and more. For young children or unborn children, arsenic exposure can have issues with cognitive development. This is not something that you'd want to be consuming. 

Jeni's Ice Cream is a unique ice cream brand that has been in operation for over 20 years. The ice cream is made from scratch, and the flavors are similar to what you would find in a small, local ice cream shop. Some of these mouthwatering flavors include Brambleberry Crisp, Fluffernutter Pie, Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns, and Buttercream Birthday Cake — which is the culprit of one of The Fresh Market's recalls.

In November of 2023, just the Buttercream Birthday Cake was recalled due to metal fragments – specifically aluminum and/or stainless steel pieces. The FDA recalled 58,473 pints of this ice cream. Jeni's Ice Cream can be found in many grocery stores, including Whole Foods, Acme, and The Fresh Market.

Finding metal fragments in a food product is a pretty serious find. If someone experiences heavy metal poisoning, they could experience life-altering issues, like brain damage, kidney failure, and/or liver failure. Initial symptoms include low body temperature, a feeling of weakness, numbness in hands or feet, and possibly irregular heartbeat.

Many times, metal fragments being found in a food product is due to an issue in the equipment that is being used to manufacture the food. Many companies who are experiencing a recall will go through diligent tests of its equipment to make sure they find the problem and fix it — before attempting to make more food.

Many people know of the Impossible brand. It's known for being a safe haven for vegans and vegetarians, offering a multitude of plant-based food items. From plant-based beef patties, hot dogs, meatballs, chicken, and more, this is a go-to brand for many people. Not only is the Impossible brand found in many grocery stores across the country, but some fast food chains like White Castle and restaurants like The Hard Rock Cafe also serve Impossible meat.

In March of 2023, The Fresh Market announced a recall for the Impossible Chicken Nuggets for the finding of foreign material in the nuggets. What was that foreign material, you ask? It was wood. The company shared that very small pieces were found, and it only affected a very small percentage of bags sold.

Impossible took full accountability for this awful mishap, and shared a great statement in a blog post on its site, "Impossible Chicken Nuggets are an important product for the plant-based meat category, and they're loved by consumers, who prefer our chicken nuggets to animal chicken nuggets in restaurants .. While we continue to appreciate the outpouring of love for Impossible Chicken Nuggets, we're disappointed by any instance where our product hasn't lived up to your or our expectations — this is not something we take lightly, and we are working hard to remedy the situation."

Mary's Gone Crackers is a brand that sells a large variety of delicious crackers that are gluten-free, nut-free, and egg-free. Many of the products mimic other brands that make food with these common allergens, so Mary's Gone Crackers offers great alternatives to people who can't eat certain brands. One example is its delicious Gone Cheezee crackers, which are reminiscent of Cheez-It.

The company strives to provide healthy, allergen-free products that are organic and made with whole ingredients. With a company that many people trust, the news of a product recall is a bit jarring. In March of 2023, The Fresh Market put out a notice for the OG Super Seed Seaweed crackers. The reasoning was "foreign material contamination." Upon further research, we found that the foreign material was rubber pieces in the crackers. For a company that claims to be health conscious, it's very concerning to hear that pieces of rubber were found in the food. We unfortunately didn't find any sort of statement or acknowledgment from Mary's Gone Crackers online, which again is shocking due to the company's mission.

Catalina Crunch was founded by Krishna Kaliannan, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a teen. In order to manage his blood sugar, he had to ditch many of his favorite snacks, like sugary cereals and cookies. With not many great alternatives on the market, Kaliannan decided to make them himself. From there, Catalina Crunch was born, and it offers tons of low-carb cereals, snack mixes, cookies, and more.

In February of 2023, The Fresh Market shared a recall of many of the Catalina Crunch products that it sold. This included three flavors of the cereal (chocolate peanut butter, fruity, and honey graham) as well as the cheddar snack mix. Together, over 300,000 total Catalina Crunch packages were recalled. The reason for the recall? Metal contamination.

Unfortunately, this seems to be a common reason for food recalls. This is why it's important to stay up to date with the brands that you buy and any possible recalls that are out there. The Fresh Market keeps its food recall list updated, so if you shop there regularly, be sure to check that page. You can also use Recalls.gov as a source, which can help you keep track of all of the current recalls. Catalina Crunch claims that it only uses clean and natural ingredients, so it's a disappointment that something as harsh as metal was found in its products.

General Mills has been a trusted brand for families in America since 1866. Its reputation has always been positive, and has provided more than just good quality products for years and years. Not every brand is perfect, however. In April 2023, General Mills released a recall for its Gold Medal Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. This is a product that many people use as a household staple for daily recipes. It can also be found in almost every grocery store, including The Fresh Market.

The product was recalled for a finding of Salmonella. Salmonella contamination can cause symptoms like headache, chills, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and more. It is commonly found in things like raw eggs and raw chicken. However it can also be found in processed foods and packaged items.

There is good news, however. Most people who are using flour in recipes will be frying, baking, or boiling the product. This process actually kills Salmonella, so the chances of those that consumed the food made with the General Mills flour getting sick is rare. The risk comes to the people who prepared the food. If they were not properly washing their hands or the surfaces and materials that the flour came into contact with, its possible that they could get infected.

Oppy is a produce company that provides products like apples, apricots, avocados, berries, brussel sprouts, cherries, leafy greens, kiwis, and more. It is a large distributor, and many grocery stores sell its produce — like Whole Foods and The Fresh Market.

In August of 2023, a recall was released for the green kiwifruit manufactured by Oppy. The green kiwifruit is reportedly grown in New Zealand, then shipped to North America and repackaged in clear plastic clamshell containers to then be sold in stores. The reason for the recall was a potential contamination with Listeria. It is unclear whether the contamination was present when the fruit was shipped over from New Zealand or if it was contaminated when repackaged in the states.

Listeria is not as commonly found in foods as Salmonella or E.Coli are, but it is actually found that it is the leading cause of death by a foodborne illness. Any contamination of this bacteria should be treated incredibly seriously. Oppy's website shares, "We provide a resource that people depend on every day for their lives and livelihoods. And we take that responsibility seriously. That's why we put time and energy into nurturing strong relationships with our partners." There haven't been any reported recalls since the issue in August 2023, so we are hopeful that Oppy has rectified the situation.

Hain Celestial has many popular products on the market that range from its famous Sleepytime Tea, veggie straws, and chicken bone broth. The brand focuses on creating healthy products for its customers, sharing its mission, "A healthier lifestyle happens when people have healthier choices. So we're constantly finding new ways to refine our products to be even better."

Unfortunately, in September 2023, Hain Celestial had to put out a recall for its Imagine Chicken Bone Broth. According to The Fresh Market, the product was recalled due to possible microbial contamination. Vitacost also shared a recall notice, stating that the company had a lack of "sterility assurance," which means that it couldn't be guaranteed that the product was free from microorganisms.

There isn't specific information that tells us exactly what was found in the chicken bone broth or if anyone had reported any illnesses from consuming the product. There haven't been any reported recalls since so we wouldn't be concerned about buying from this brand again.

Busseto's Antipasto Classico Tray is a container of Italian dry salami, prosciutto, and dry coppa. It is a popular item to buy when creating a charcuterie board for a wine night with friends. Some people's wine nights may have been ruined, however, when a recall was sent out for the tray in February of 2024 for potential Salmonella contamination.

Busseto is usually a trusted brand created by an Italian man named Lorenzo Pagani. He held deep pride in finding the right meat and using the right process to create a quality product. Its products are widely sold in stores like Costco, Acme, and The Fresh Market.

Apparently, over 11,000 pounds of charcuterie meat were recalled when the strands of Salmonella were found. Warnings within the recalls shared that consumption of the Salmonella bacteria could lead to hospitalization if sickness from the contamination wasn't properly taken care of.

At the time of the recall, there were 104 illnesses reported with 27 hospitalizations across 33 states. According to the CDC, this was amongst multiple charcuterie meat name brands, including Busseto — in which an outbreak strain was found in.