Additional Coverage:
- Popular salad dressings, sold at Costco and reportedly Publix, recalled over ‘foreign objects’ (foxbusiness.com)
Salad Dressing Recall: Foreign Objects Found in Popular Brands, Including Costco and Publix Offerings
Thousands of cases of salad dressings, distributed nationwide and even internationally, are being recalled due to the discovery of “foreign objects” within their ingredients. The recall, initiated by California-based Ventura Foods, affects 3,556 cases of products after black plastic planting materials were identified in granulated onion ingredients.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified this as a Class II recall on December 4th, meaning the affected products “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”
Among the prominent items affected are Caesar dressings sold at Costco Service Deli and Costco Food Court. Costco took swift action on November 7th, notifying its members of the recall affecting its Caesar salad and chicken sandwiches that utilize the dressing. Publix is also reported to have carried some of the recalled products.
Other dressings included in the recall are Italian salad dressing, creamy poblano avocado ranch dressing, Ventura Caesar dressing, Pepper Mill regal Caesar dressing, Pepper Mill creamy Caesar dressing, and Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing.
The recall impacts seven retail customers across 42 locations in 27 states, including Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Virginia, Missouri, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Washington, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, North Dakota, and Oregon. Furthermore, at least one international customer in Costa Rica received the product.
Ventura Foods confirmed that the recall stemmed from an ingredient supplier’s batch of onion granules. The company stated, “On November 6, Ventura Foods initiated a sub-recall on a limited number of dressings containing onion granules after one of our suppliers voluntarily recalled one lot of the ingredient due to potential foreign material.”
They emphasized that “The safety of our products is and will always be our top priority,” and that they acted with urgency to remove all potentially impacted product from the marketplace. This includes urging customers, distributors, and retailers to review inventory and halt further sales and distribution of recalled items.