Snacks and confectionery in FDA food recalls

4,332 of the 29,386 FDA food recall records published since 2012 involve a snack or confectionery product, which is 14.7% of every food recall the agency has reported. 1,959 are Class I, and the median one ran 7 months. Data last updated 2 September 2026.

Records of 29,386

4,332

Share of all recalls

14.7%

Class I of 4,332

1,959

Reported between

2012 to 2026

What is different about these records

The hazard that separates Snacks and confectionery from the national picture is undeclared allergens: 41% of these records name it, against 26.5% of all FDA food recalls.

These records overlap heavily with milk and dairy: 36.1% of them also fall under that category, against 16.9% across the corpus. A record can carry more than one category.

Why snacks and confectionery recalls the way it does

Snacks and confectionery recall for allergens more than for anything else, because a chocolate or a coated snack passes through shared equipment carrying milk, soy and nuts, and the label is the only control between them and the consumer.

Measured across these 4,332 records, undeclared allergens is the most frequent reason at 1,778, then listeria monocytogenes at 840. A record can name more than one hazard, so these overlap and do not sum to 4,332.

What goes wrong

• Undeclared allergens1,778
• Listeria monocytogenes840
• Salmonella579
• Foreign material377
• Spoilage and mould113
• Chemical contamination45
• E. coli41
• Clostridium botulinum28
• Process deviation26
• Viral and parasitic contamination15
• Unapproved ingredients14

The regulation that governs it

Snacks and confectionery are under part 117. Part 163 adds standards of identity for cacao nibs, chocolate liquor, cocoa and the named chocolates, which fix composition and say nothing about safety. The failure this category is built around is a line, not a recipe: shared equipment carrying milk, soy, peanut and tree nuts through a product whose label describes only the formulation, which is what the FDA's own survey of dark chocolate labelled dairy-free found. The food allergen controls of §117.135, written procedures for cross-contact and for the label, are where the inspection question sits, and FDA guidance is explicit that a 'may contain' statement does not substitute for them. Part 163 also fixes the names, so a product sold as milk chocolate has to meet the milk chocolate standard, and a shortfall in milk solids is a misbranding rather than a safety failure.

These are the parts of 21 CFR that bear on a snack or confectionery product, reproduced in full on this site because title 21 is United States public domain.

• 21 CFR Part 11761Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food
• 21 CFR Part 10150Food Labeling
• 21 CFR Part 16316Cacao Products

By year

Counts are by the date the FDA reported the enforcement action. That date runs behind the date a firm started a recall, so the most recent year is always partial.

Firms with the most records

A firm appears here because it reported recalls, which is what a working recall procedure produces. A high count frequently reflects a single event split across many product codes rather than many separate failures.

• Blue Bell Creameries, L.P.99
• Ashers Chocolates/Lewistown, Inc.86
• Whole Foods Market75
• ELITE CONFECTIONERY LTD50
• Target Corporation46
• FRESH IDEATION FOOD GROUP, LLC dba Fresh Creative Cuisine45
• Working Cow Homemade Inc.45
• Queen Bee Gardens, LLC43
• The Quaker Oats Co.42
• YouBar31
• Helados La Tapatia, Inc30
• C & S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.27

Where the recalling firms are

The state is the location of the recalling firm, not where the product was sold. Distribution is recorded separately on each record.

• California589
• Texas351
• Pennsylvania269
• New York242
• Illinois238
• Washington214
• Ohio201
• New Jersey195
• Florida184
• Michigan158
• Oregon138
• Minnesota127

Most recently reported

Questions

How many FDA recalls involve a snack or confectionery product?

4,332 of the 29,386 FDA food recall records published since 2012 involve a snack or confectionery product, which is 14.7% of all of them. 1,959 are Class I.

Why does snacks and confectionery get recalled?

Snacks and confectionery recall for allergens more than for anything else, because a chocolate or a coated snack passes through shared equipment carrying milk, soy and nuts, and the label is the only control between them and the consumer.

What is the most common reason for a snacks and confectionery recall?

Undeclared allergens appears in 1,778 of the 4,332 records in this category, followed by listeria monocytogenes with 840. A single recall can name more than one hazard, so these counts overlap.

How long does a snacks and confectionery recall take?

The median recall in this category ran 7 months from the date the firm initiated it to the date the FDA terminated it. Termination means the agency judged that all reasonable effort had been made under 21 CFR 7.55; it does not mean no product remained in circulation.

All FDA food recall data