Repackaged and promotional M&M’s products recalled over undeclared allergens and packaging errors
M&M’s Undeclared Allergen Recalls
The 2026 food safety crisis in the United States continues to escalate, revealing persistent vulnerabilities throughout the nation’s complex food supply chains. Recent developments have broadened the scope of recalls across diverse categories—including repackaged promotional candies, ready-to-eat meats, frozen foods, dairy products, supplements, and infant nutrition—highlighting ongoing challenges with undeclared allergens, microbial contamination (Listeria and Salmonella), and physical hazards such as plastics, glass, and metal fragments. These incidents underscore systemic failures in repackaging controls, labeling accuracy, contaminant detection, and supply chain transparency, prompting urgent regulatory responses and industry-wide calls for reform.
Expanded Recall of Repackaged Peanut M&M’s Unveils Multi-Allergen and Plastic Contamination Risks
The FDA has significantly expanded its recall of Peanut M&M’s repackaged by Beacon Promotions Inc., now including lot code M1823200 (best-by April 30, 2026) and impacting nearly 20 states such as Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. This expansion reveals critical lapses in secondary repackaging processes:
- Undeclared allergens: Milk, tree nuts, and wheat were found in the product without appropriate labeling, posing grave risks of severe allergic reactions including anaphylaxis for sensitive individuals.
- Physical contamination: Plastic fragments detected inside packaging raise choking and injury hazards.
- Labeling and quality control failures: Inadequate allergen verification and contaminant screening during repackaging have allowed dangerous products to reach consumers.
This recall starkly illustrates how repackaged and promotional products can bypass original manufacturing safety systems, exposing consumers to life-threatening allergen exposures and physical hazards. The FDA urges consumers to carefully check lot codes and best-by dates, avoid consuming recalled products, and return or dispose of affected items. Retailers and distributors are instructed to promptly remove these products from shelves to prevent further exposures.
Tyson Foods’ Massive 8.5 Million-Pound Ready-to-Eat Chicken Recall Due to Listeria
In a parallel high-profile recall, Tyson Foods Inc. announced a voluntary recall of approximately 8.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products, including deli meats and grilled chicken strips, after detecting potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. This recall affects products distributed nationwide, posing severe health risks, especially to pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals.
This incident highlights ongoing microbial control challenges in high-volume processed protein facilities and reinforces the critical necessity for stringent hygiene standards and pathogen monitoring protocols.
Surge in Frozen Food Recalls Due to Physical Contaminants
Frozen foods continue to be plagued by physical hazards:
- Aldi recalled nearly 9,462 pounds of frozen ready-to-eat meatballs after metal fragments were discovered.
- Trader Joe’s withdrew frozen chicken fried rice following reports of glass contamination.
- Additional recalls of frozen tater tots and spicy breakfast burritos were initiated after plastic and hard plastic fragments were detected.
These cases reveal the limitations of conventional metal detectors that fail to identify non-metal contaminants such as plastic, glass, and rubber. The frozen food sector is increasingly seeking to adopt advanced detection technologies like X-ray imaging and optical sorting to mitigate these risks.
Allergens and Listeria Contamination Expand into Frozen Desserts and Dairy Spreads
Concerns over allergen mismanagement and microbial contamination have extended beyond savory foods:
- Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams voluntarily recalled a lot of Passion Fruit Dreamsicle Ice Cream Bars due to undeclared allergens, highlighting that allergen control challenges persist in frozen dessert categories.
- Made Fresh Salads, Inc. of Bay Shore, New York, recalled multiple cream cheese and tofu spread varieties over potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination, expanding microbial safety concerns into refrigerated dairy and plant-based products.
New High-Risk Recalls in Frozen Blueberries and Cottage Cheese Signal Broader Vulnerabilities
The FDA recently announced high-risk recalls involving:
- Frozen blueberries: A voluntary recall of 55,689 pounds due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination, affecting four U.S. states and Canada, demonstrating the challenges of cross-border food safety.
- Walmart Great Value brand cottage cheese sold in Idaho was recalled over pasteurization failures, indicating lapses in process control within refrigerated dairy production.
These recalls underscore an alarming expansion of microbial contamination into traditionally lower-risk frozen fruit and dairy products.
Widespread Recalls Across Meat, Seafood, Produce, Supplements, and Infant Nutrition
The 2026 food safety crisis spans an extraordinary range of products:
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Meat and Seafood:
- Food Lion recalled ~23,000 pounds of ground beef contaminated with black rubber and plastic fragments.
- Wellesley Farms Atlantic Salmon and Sobico USA LLC frozen catfish were recalled for Listeria contamination and inspection failures.
- CS Beef Packers issued a ground beef recall due to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O145 contamination.
- Ajinomoto’s Genova Tuna was withdrawn citing unspecified safety concerns.
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Produce and Supplements:
- Multiple frozen vegetable recalls involving Listeria monocytogenes across six states and Washington, D.C.
- Navitas Organics’ Organic Chia Seed and Rosabella’s moringa supplements were recalled due to Salmonella contamination.
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Infant Nutrition:
- Expanded recalls of infant formulas due to elevated patulin mycotoxin levels, including notable Gerber products sold in California.
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Retail and Peanut Butter:
- Ventura Foods LLC recalled over 22,000 cases of peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella Newport, linked to a multi-state outbreak spanning 40 states.
- Additional peanut butter recalls citing plastic fragment contamination demonstrate concurrent microbial and physical hazard risks.
- Major retailers like Costco, Wegmans, and Kroger initiated recalls for undeclared allergens and foreign objects.
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International Impact:
- Tesco in the UK recalled fruit snacks for Salmonella contamination, illustrating the global scope of the 2026 food safety crisis.
New Dairy Recall: Over 260,000 Cases of Shredded Cheese Withdrawn Across 31 States and Puerto Rico
Adding to dairy concerns, more than 260,000 cases of shredded cheese were recalled across 31 states and Puerto Rico due to potential contamination. This recall further highlights persistent weaknesses in dairy product safety and quality assurance.
Canadian Tahini Recall Emphasizes Cross-Border Salmonella Threats
Canadian authorities recalled Mahrousa brand tahini following Salmonella contamination, illustrating how food safety threats transcend national borders and complicate international supply chains.
New Snack Pretzel Recall Highlights Labeling and Allergen Misstatement Issues
In a recent update, a snack product combining peanut butter and pretzel pieces was recalled due to an allergen labeling error. The FDA set a formal risk level, underscoring ongoing challenges with:
- Allergen misstatements on labels, especially in repackaged or multi-ingredient promotional products.
- The critical need for improved label verification and allergen management to prevent consumer exposure to undeclared allergens.
This development reinforces the systemic weaknesses in repackaging and labeling accuracy identified across multiple recalls.
FDA Investigates New Salmonella Newport Outbreak
The FDA has launched an investigation into a new outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections, with 38 confirmed cases reported as of late February 2026. This outbreak appears linked to previously identified contamination patterns, including those associated with peanut butter products recalled for Salmonella Newport.
This ongoing investigation highlights the persistence and evolving nature of microbial threats across multiple food categories.
Root Causes: Systemic Failures in Repackaging, Labeling, Detection, and Supply Chain Transparency
Food safety experts attribute the 2026 crisis to several intertwined factors:
- Secondary repackaging shortcomings: Many repackagers lack rigorous allergen segregation, sanitation, and label verification protocols found in original manufacturing, increasing cross-contact and mislabeling risks.
- Label verification failures: Reliance on manual or semi-automated label inspections frequently misses allergen misstatements and packaging errors.
- Detection technology blind spots: Conventional metal detectors cannot detect non-metallic contaminants like plastics, glass, and rubber, allowing hazardous materials to reach consumers.
- Fragmented supply chains: Complex sourcing, repackaging, and distribution networks complicate traceability, delay hazard identification, and impair timely recall execution.
A leading food safety analyst remarked:
“The expanded Peanut M&M’s recall starkly exposes how secondary repackaging undermines allergen control and contaminant detection. Only comprehensive adoption of advanced verification technologies and greater supply chain transparency will restore consumer safety.”
FDA Accelerates 2026 Reform Agenda to Strengthen Oversight and Foster Innovation
In response to the escalating crisis, the FDA has fast-tracked its 2026 food safety reform initiatives, emphasizing:
- Stricter controls for secondary repackagers: Mandating physical segregation, enhanced sanitation, and real-time allergen verification during repackaging to prevent cross-contact and mislabeling.
- Automated traceability and AI-driven label verification: Promoting barcode scanning, RFID tracking, and AI-powered inspection systems to reduce human error and facilitate faster, more precise recalls.
- Expanded contaminant detection technologies: Encouraging adoption of X-ray, optical sorting, allergen sensors, and rapid microbial assays to detect plastics, glass, rubber, and pathogens beyond traditional metal detection capabilities.
These reforms aim to rebuild consumer confidence by addressing the complex realities of modern food supply chains head-on.
Collaborative Industry and Consumer Responsibilities
Industry Recommendations:
- Adopt comprehensive allergen management protocols from sourcing through repackaging and distribution.
- Invest in advanced automation and contaminant detection technologies to minimize labeling errors and physical contamination.
- Expand contaminant detection beyond metals to include plastics, glass, rubber, and microbial hazards.
- Enhance real-time supply chain transparency to accelerate incident response and improve recall effectiveness.
Consumer Guidance:
- Stay informed by monitoring FDA recall announcements and safety alerts.
- Carefully verify lot codes and best-by dates, especially on repackaged or promotional products.
- Avoid consuming recalled items and follow FDA instructions for returns or disposal.
- Report any adverse health effects related to recalled foods to healthcare providers and the FDA MedWatch program.
Conclusion
The 2026 food safety crisis continues to deepen, as evidenced by the expanded Peanut M&M’s recall involving multiple undeclared allergens and plastic fragments; Tyson Foods’ massive ready-to-eat chicken recall for Listeria; surging frozen food recalls for physical contaminants; allergen and microbial recalls in frozen desserts, dairy spreads, and shredded cheese; high-risk recalls in frozen blueberries and cottage cheese; and a widening array of recalls spanning meat, seafood, produce, supplements, infant nutrition, and retail sectors.
Compounded by a new FDA investigation into a Salmonella Newport outbreak and emerging labeling failures in snack products, these events reveal profound systemic weaknesses across the U.S. food supply chain.
The FDA’s accelerated reform agenda signals a decisive shift toward stronger regulatory oversight, technological innovation, and enhanced supply chain transparency. Nonetheless, protecting public health and restoring consumer trust will require sustained vigilance, substantial industry investment, and active consumer engagement to navigate an increasingly complex and hazardous food safety landscape.
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