Spoilage and mould in FDA food recalls

782 of the 29,386 FDA food recall records published since 2012 name spoilage. That is 2.7% of every food recall the agency has reported, and 1 of them are Class I. Data last updated 2 September 2026.

Records of 29,386

782

Share of all recalls

2.7%

Class I of 782

1

Reported between

2012 to 2026

What is different about these records

By product, Spoilage and mould is weighted toward beverages and juice: 9.6% of the records here against 5.3% across the corpus.

Recalls involving spoilage and mould skew less severe than the corpus: 0.1% are Class I against 44% nationally.

A recall involving spoilage and mould stays open a median of 176 days between the report and termination, against 215 days for the corpus as a whole. Termination follows the firm accounting for every unit of the affected lot.

These recalls travel further than most: 26.7% state nationwide distribution, against 20.7% of all records.

What Spoilage and mould means in a recall record

A spoilage recall means the food degraded before its date: mould growth, unintended fermentation, swelling or rancidity, usually traced to a seal, a formulation or a storage temperature.

The firm with the most records of this kind is Target Corporation, with 199. A high count usually reflects one event split across many product codes rather than many separate failures, which is why the table below is ordered by date rather than by firm.

The clause this maps to

A preventive controls plan covers spoilage under the clauses below. This is where the control belongs, not a finding against any firm named on this page: a recall record states a reason, and most of these recalls were initiated by the firm itself.

21 CFR 117.93

Warehousing and distribution: storage and transport under conditions that protect food against contamination and against deterioration of the food and its container.

21 CFR 117.80(b)(3)

Time and temperature: holding food at temperatures that do not allow microorganisms to grow, and for no longer than the process allows.

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.

• Target Corporation199
• Chobani Idaho64
• Greco Sidari36
• H.P. Hood, LLC18
• Pharmatech LLC17
• Lyons Magnus LLC15
• Reser's Fine Foods, Inc.14
• Wilton Brands.13
• Materne, North America13
• Abbott Laboratories12
• Big Blue Fisheries11
• Bumble Bee Foods LLC10

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.

• Minnesota206
• California118
• Idaho64
• Illinois57
• Ohio56
• New York27
• Oregon27
• Florida26
• Texas20
• Colorado18
• Michigan18
• Indiana17

Most recently reported

Questions

How many FDA food recalls involve spoilage and mould?

782 of the 29,386 FDA food recall records published since 2012 name spoilage, which is 2.7% of all of them. 1 are Class I, the class the FDA uses when there is a reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death.

What is Spoilage and mould?

A spoilage recall means the food degraded before its date: mould growth, unintended fermentation, swelling or rancidity, usually traced to a seal, a formulation or a storage temperature.

Which clause covers spoilage?

A preventive controls plan under 21 CFR 117 covers spoilage under 21 CFR 117.93, 21 CFR 117.80(b)(3). Warehousing and distribution: storage and transport under conditions that protect food against contamination and against deterioration of the food and its container. This is where the control belongs; a recall record states a reason rather than a regulatory finding, and most FDA food recalls are initiated by the firm itself.

All FDA food recall data