Have you ever had a moment of panic when you heard about a food recall and realized it was something you had in your home? Often, recalls are limited to a particular production run from a relatively small manufacturing plant, which affects few people. But there have been some big ones.
6. Peanut Corporation of America
While most food recalls are the result of unfortunate mistakes, sometimes companies knowingly distribute products that are contaminated. From 2007 to 2008, the Peanut Corporation of America shipped peanut products across the US and Canada that they knew was contaminated with a viral strain of salmonella. Because the products were sent to unknowing companies who then produced peanut butter and peanut meal, over 3,200 different products had to be pulled from store shelves. The Peanut Corporation of America filed for bankruptcy to protect itself financially in 2009, but eight people died as a result of their malfeasance. At a congressional hearing, a company executive claimed that the Peanut Corporation of America would lose an estimated $1 billion as a result of the recall.
Sure, we hold food manufacturers to high standards, but they have our lives in their hands. The peanut recall only made #6 on the list of the biggest food recalls in U.S. history, which you can read at Money Inc.