Random Most Common Recalled Foods From Grocery Stores (15 items)

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  (#1) Pet Food

  Food recalls aren't just limited to the food humans eat; pet food is sometimes recalled for salmonella contamination or high sodium content. The most notorious outbreak was in 2007 when pet food containing a mix of melamine and cyanuric acid caused thousands of dogs and cats to fall ill or die from kidney failure. In response, US congress passed the Human and Pet Food Safety Act to provide better guidelines to consumers.
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  (#2) Beef

  Beef companies have had numerous issues with E. coli breakouts over the years. This is because E. coli bacteria can be found residing in the stomachs of cattle, and the nature of ground beef in particular makes it difficult to fully cook all the way through, causing potential E. coli to sicken you. 
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  (#3) Frozen Fruits And Vegetables

  While frozen fruits and veggies may seem safe if only because they're supposedly preserved from bacteria, there have been multiple cases of recalls. CRF Frozen Foods had to recall their products after an outbreak of listeria, as did the National Frozen Food Corp. One food professor theorizes that in such cases, listeria may be residing in the processing plants. As always, the bacteria can be killed if cooked correctly. If you like to eat raw, try to purchase organic or non-pesticide foods.
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  (#4) Milk

  The most common cause of food recalls is undeclared allergens. The FDA includes milk on its list of top eight allergen offenders that pose risk for contamination without proper lab testing and milk is the top offender. Milk and milk powder has been present in multiple meat products that have been recalled over the years. Additionally, milk itself is sometimes recalled for being spoiled before the sell-by date or the presence of bacteria like E. coli.

  In a notorious global case of milk recalls, China even executed two milk sellers in 2009 after their tainted powdered milk products made an estimated 30,000 children sick. But it didn't seem to deter US producers: there have been hundreds of different milk recalls Stateside since then.
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  (#5) Nuts

  Various nuts have been plagued with salmonella in recent years, with notable brand name recalls including Paramount Farms, Trader Joe’s and Wonderful, all over North and South America. Multiple brands of peanuts and peanut butter have been discovered to have salmonella over the years, an arguably more sinister situation as studies have shown salmonella thriving in the oily, fatty nut butter for some time after it shows up. Salmonella contamination can come from animal feces or birds, which have been found to congregate at peanut butter plants. According to the Scientific American, however,

  "The roasting of peanuts is the only step that will kill the salmonella. If contamination occurs after the roasting process, the game is over and salmonella is going to survive."
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  (#6) Egg

  Like milk, eggs are a common undeclared allergen responsible for multiple recalls. Eggs themselves are also often recalled due to salmonella, as was the case in 2014 when nearly 400 million eggs were recalled after the FDA discovered the bacteria. To help prevent salmonella infection, it is recommended to check eggs for cracks or spots, to refrigerate them properly and to cook them thoroughly, even when they're mixed into that delectable cookie dough.

   
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  (#7) Flour

  Various brands of flour in the United States and Canada, like Gold Medal and Signature Kitchens, have had to recall their products in recent years due to E. coli contamination. In specific situations, many of those sickened by contaminated flour had potentially eaten raw dough with the flour in it, which is not recommended since it is not sterile in an uncooked state.
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  (#8) Baked goods

  Baked goods like biscuits, cookies, cakes and pre-made mixes tend to be recalled because of undeclared allergens like eggs and wheat which seep in unexpectedly and cause problems. As always, it is important to check labels thoroughly in the grocery store, especially if there has been the occasional recall for undeclared allergens. There are other isolated incidents where items are found baked into some products, like in 2016 when Entenmann's had to recall many of their items when some consumers found plastic.
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  (#9) Chicken (Food)

  Raw chicken can easily become contaminated with listeria or salmonella and, like beef, must be stored and cooked properly to ensure safe eating. There have been many recalls on chicken over the years, even for frozen, breaded chicken, though it must be noted that such products are still raw on the inside. 
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  (#10) Sprouts

  Sprouts, such as Mung bean sprouts and alfalfa, have been responsible for more 30 outbreaks and recalls since the mid-1990s. They are typically recalled for listeria contamination because they require humidity to grow, which also breeds bacteria. Thorough washing is essential for these ingredients, and Food Safety even suggests not eating them raw. Stir frying or similar high-heat methods can eliminate harmful bacteria.
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  (#11) Cantaloupe

  Cantaloupes are one of the most widely recalled fruits, mostly due to their net-like skin allowing for bacteria to more easily contaminate the inside. It is also not an acidic fruit, which can make them even more susceptible to listeria or salmonella. It is advised to check cantaloupes and make sure they don't have bruises before you buy or consume them.
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  (#12) Hot dog

  With the well-worn controversy over whether a hot dog is even a legitimate food product, it's not wonder that they're high on the recall list. Hot dogs and corn dogs have been recalled for everything from containing listeria to metal to pieces of bone. And as they're technically part of the pork family, there is always the risk of listeria and salmonella if not cooked properly.
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  (#13) Seafood

  Seafood can sometimes come with bacterial issues like listeria or even clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism. There is also the ongoing issue of mercury in seafood, with one classic recall being in 1970 when the FDA recalled close to one million cans of tuna for fear of mercury contamination. 
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  (#14) Hummus

  Hummus has seen a surge in recalls, notably with the most popular brand in grocery stores, Sabra. The company's manufacturer, Taylor Farms, voluntarily recalled hummus products in recent years when listeria was discovered at the facility, though not in the products themselves. Then, Trader Joe's hummus-maker, Bakkavor, recalled theirs over the same concerns. 
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  (#15) Cumin

  Cumin has had multiple unfortunate recalls in recent years for different reasons. One notable example was in 2015 when companies discovered peanut proteins in the spice, clearly an undeclared allergen. Another line of ground cumin was found to have dangerous levels of lead.

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