Granola Bar Recalls That Affected Millions

Granola is a popular breakfast choice. Most opt for granola because it's nutritious — it usually consists of ingredients like rolled oats, nuts, and seeds, which, together, offer a good dose of fiber, as well as protein, antioxidants, and healthy fats.

Granola is often eaten in two ways. It's either combined with milk (cow's or dairy-free) like cereal, or it's enjoyed in a snack bar. Granola bars are a particularly popular choice because they're convenient and easy to eat on the go. But while both types of granola are usually nutritious, there are some things you need to be aware of before you stock up.

Sometimes, granola bars and cereals can be mislabeled, which means they could contain undeclared allergens. They can also contain foreign objects, like small stones or metals. And on some occasions, they can even contain harmful bacteria, which could cause illness if ingested. But if any of these issues occur, granola products are usually recalled quickly from the market, and this reduces the risk of illness or injury.

Food recalls are not exclusive to the granola market. They happen frequently in many different categories. And throughout 2024, they seemed to be on the rise. But the key to staying safe is staying informed. Keep reading to find out more about the many granola recalls that have happened over the years and why.

In December 2024, Canadian health food company Riverside Natural Foods announced it was voluntarily recalling some of its granola bars. The bars were sold under MadeGood, one of the health-focused brands it owns alongside low-sugar snack brand Good to Go and pet treat company Cookie Pal.

According to the company, the affected products — which included its Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, Mixed Berry Granola Bars, Chocolate Drizzled Cookie Crumble Granola Bars, and Chocolate Banana Bars — were recalled due to the potential presence of metal. Customers were asked to either dispose of the items or take them back to the place of purchase for a refund.

Metal can sometimes find its way into food products via broken machinery in factories. In fact, due to the sheer amount of metal used in the manufacturing process, it is one of the most common contaminants in food products. But if metal is ingested, it becomes a health hazard. It can cause dental injuries, internal cuts, and if big enough, it can even lead to choking. The issue is not exclusive to granola. It can impact many different types of foods. In the past, metal contamination has been linked to ground beef recalls, for example.

In a bid to resolve the issue quickly, Riverside Natural Foods conducted a thorough investigation into the manufacturing of the granola bars. It has now initiated new processes to reduce the risk of metal contamination in its products in the future.

In October 2024, TK Maxx and Homesense — two popular retailers in the U.K., both owned by American multinational TJX —recalled granola bars sold under the Oatrageous label. The two products affected by the recall were Chocolate Chip Oatrageous Chewy Granola Bars and Variety Pack Oatrageous Chewy Granola Bars. Both products contained milk, but this was not declared on the label.

Undeclared allergens like milk are a serious health risk. Milk allergies commonly affect children under the age of five. Allergic reactions can vary in severity, from wheezing to digestive problems to life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Lactose intolerance — which is an intolerance to one of the natural sugars found in dairy products — is more common in adults. Lactose intolerance is not as severe as an allergy and can vary in intensity from person to person, but symptoms can still include diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. TK Maxx and Homesense encouraged any milk allergy sufferers or those with lactose intolerance to take the affected granola bars back to the store for a full refund.

This wasn't the only recall from TK Maxx and Homesense in 2024. In June, the retailers were also forced to recall select batches of organic leaf tea due to the presence of insects in the product.

It's not just granola bars that are at risk of recall. In March 2024, Kick Ash Products — a Wisconsin-based company that specializes in artisanal granola cereal in a variety of flavors — recalled its Door County Love Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola, which had been distributed to people across Ellison Bay, Wisconsin either via online orders or from the Kick Ash Products store.

Again, the granola was recalled due to the presence of undeclared allergens. An investigation revealed the incident occurred due to an internal issue with production. This time, it wasn't milk that was the problem, but almonds. Nut allergies are common in the U.S. In fact, research suggests that millions of Americans are allergic to tree nuts, which includes almonds (as well as nuts like walnuts, pecans, and pistachios).

Like with all food allergies, the symptoms of a tree nut allergy can vary in severity, and for some, they can include anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis happens when the immune system floods the body with chemicals in response to an allergen. This causes blood pressure to drop and airways to narrow, which makes it difficult for the affected person to breathe.

Luckily, there were no reports of any illnesses associated with the undeclared almonds in the Door County Love Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola. Any customers that bought the affected product were encouraged to either dispose of it or return it to Kick Ash Products for a full refund.

In December 2023, The Quaker Oats Company — often referred to as simply Quaker or Quaker Oats — issued a recall for multiple granola bars and granola cereal products. The food conglomerate had distributed the products throughout the U.S., but announced the recall when it became aware that they could be infected with salmonella.

Concerns over salmonella are a leading cause of many food recalls. The bacteria is often behind egg recalls, for example. But salmonella can also make its way into other food products, even granola. This is often due to contamination in the fields where oats (the key ingredient in granola) are grown. In a nutshell: Contaminated water from nearby livestock farms with salmonella-infected animals can runoff and leak into the soil, infecting the crops.

Salmonella often causes mild symptoms, including fever, nausea, and diarrhea, but it can sometimes be serious. This is because it can cause severe dehydration, which can be life-threatening. Salmonella is also linked to a serious heart infection called endocarditis and even arthritis. Every year, salmonella infections in the U.S. lead to around 26,500 hospitalizations and more than 400 deaths, per the CDC.

In January 2024, Quaker Oats updated its recall to include a granola bar that had been discontinued in September 2023, but still had a best before date in February 2024. The company encouraged customers to dispose of this particular bar and any other product on the recall list.

The Quaker Oats recall had a far-reaching impact. Also in December 2023, California-based company Houdini Inc was forced to recall multiple gift baskets sold through its brand Wine Country Gift Baskets. This was because they contained Quaker Chewy Granola bars, which could be contaminated with salmonella.

The gift baskets had been sold across the U.S., either through the Wine Country Gift Baskets website or through Amazon. As mentioned above, salmonella is often mild, but it can be serious for some people — particularly young children, elderly people, and those with compromised immune systems.

It is not possible to tell if a product has been contaminated by salmonella just by looking at it. It is also not possible to detect the bacteria by smell or taste. Usually, salmonella is only found either through reports of illness or through external testing. There were no reports of illness associated with Wine Country Gift Baskets' gift basket sales, but the recall was issued by Houdini Inc in an abundance of caution. Houdini Inc had a difficult year with recalls in 2023. In the same year, it also had to recall gift baskets containing cookies from the Acorn Baking Company due to the presence of undeclared hazelnuts.

In November 2023, Maine-based Grandy Organics, which specializes in organic granola and trail mix, cancelled a recall of its Gluten Free Honey Oat Granola. The company had initially recalled the product after laboratory tests showed traces of coconut in the product, which weren't declared on the packaging.

In rare cases, people with tree nut allergies can also have a reaction to foods that contain coconut. This is because the two foods are distantly related and contain similar proteins. This is why it's important for companies to always declare when their product contains coconut. However, in the case of Grandy Organics, the recall was a false alarm. It turned out that the Gluten Free Honey Oat Granola did not actually contain traces of coconut and that the laboratory tests had given a false result.

In a statement, Aaron Anker, the owner of Grandy Organics, said that the recall had been issued initially because the company wanted to act fast. He said the thought that the brand's products could cause an allergic reaction left him "sleepless for days." In order to thoroughly check that the granola did not contain coconut, Grandy Organics sent off multiple batches for further testing. These tests confirmed that the prior result was, indeed, a false positive. Anker said he was "proud" of the brand's quick response and added that the team was "so happy" the issue had been resolved.

Sometimes, products are recalled because of the potential presence of harmful bacteria, metal, or undeclared allergens, and other times, they're recalled because of small stones. That's what happened to U.K. organic food company Rude Health in 2023.

In August, the brand was forced to recall its Low Sugar Granola Almond and Hazelnut product due to the potential presence of small stones mixed in with the cereal. If bitten or swallowed by accident, small stones can present a choking hazard or cause a dental injury.

Small stones can sometimes make their way into products that use ingredients that have been grown in fields, like oats, for example. This is because during the crop harvesting process, stones can be accidentally pulled up from the ground.

Usually, food products are inspected for stray items like stones, but sometimes, they can slip through the cracks and make it onto the shelves. In some cases, this is because X-ray systems, for example, which are used by some manufacturers to detect contaminants, fail to pick them up due to them having a similar variation in density to food products. To avoid any accidents or injuries, Rude Health advised any customers who purchased the Low Sugar Granola – Almond and Hazelnut product to either dispose of it or return it to the store they bought it from for a full refund.

In March 2023, Clio Snacks, a New Jersey-based Greek yogurt bar brand, voluntarily recalled more than 580 cases of its Strawberry Granola & Greek Yogurt Parfait Bars due to the potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes (often referred to as simply listeria). The alarm was raised after testing at one of the brand's third-party production facilities revealed potential Listeria on-site. Similar to salmonella, listeria usually causes a mild reaction, but in some cases, it can be life-threatening. The bacteria, which is resilient and can easily spread throughout food processing factories, can contaminate everything from granola to ice cream to cheese products.

Consuming foods contaminated with listeria can lead to an infection called listeriosis, which has symptoms like diarrhea, chills, and vomiting. In severe cases, the disease can lead to life-threatening conditions, like septicemia or meningitis.

Again, young children, babies, elderly people, and people with compromised immune systems are the most at-risk when it comes to serious disease. Listeria can also lead to pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, premature labor, and stillbirth. Consuming food with listeria when pregnant is particularly risky because the symptoms can sometimes mimic those associated with pregnancy and therefore may go unnoticed for longer periods of time. Clio Snacks' yogurt granola bars had already been distributed to Walmart stores when the recall was announced. Customers were urged to either throw them away or return them to the store they bought them from for a full refund.

One month before Clio Snacks' recalled granola bars due to potential contamination with listeria, another company, called Fresh Ideation Food Group, was forced to recall 400 products for the same reason. The Baltimore-based company produces a variety of products under many brand names, including Bistro to Go, Quick & Fresh, Westin Label, and Orchard Bistro. A number of different foods sold by Fresh Ideation Food Group under these names and more were recalled, including breakfast muffins, croissants, sandwiches, cakes, granola bars, and granola parfaits. At the time of the recall, the products had already been distributed to multiple stores, transportation companies, and vending machines in several regions across the U.S., including Maryland, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The alarm for listeria was raised after environmental sample tests came up positive for the bacteria. As mentioned above, listeria doesn't usually cause serious symptoms, however it can be severe for some individuals. Research suggests that around 1,600 Americans are infected with the bacteria every year, per the CDC. Some will need antibiotics, but most will recover on their own without treatment. Research also suggests, notes the CDC, that around 260 people die every year from listeria.

In November 2022, Big Sky Bread Company, an Iowan company that specializes in all-natural fresh bread as well as cookies, sweets, and granola, issued a recall for two of its granola products: Big Sky Chocolate Chunk Granola and Big Sky Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Chip Granola. Again, this was due to the presence of undeclared allergens. In this case, a routine inspection discovered that the products contained traces of milk that had not been declared on the label. As mentioned above, milk can cause allergic reactions in some people, including life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Big Sky Bread Company and the other companies on this list that recalled granola products due to undeclared allergens aren't alone. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons why food products are recalled. In 2023, research from Trustwell found that undeclared allergens were the reason for 47% of recalls in the U.S. in 2022 and for 67% of recalls in 2023 (and that was only counted up to September).

At the time of the Big Sky Bread Company recall, the granola cereal products had already been delivered to multiple customers and retailers in Iowa. The brand asked anyone who had bought the granola products to return them to the store they bought it from, or directly to the company's headquarters, for a full refund or to receive an alternative product.