Candy recalls happen more often than most people realize. Whether it’s a labeling mistake, contamination issue, or dangerous ingredient that slipped through quality control, these sweet treats can end up causing big problems for manufacturers and shoppers alike. From major chocolate companies to small candy makers, nobody seems immune to the occasional recall disaster. The reasons vary wildly, from metal fragments showing up in gummy bears to salmonella scares affecting millions of pounds of chocolate products across the country.
Mauna Loa pulls chocolate macadamias for hidden nuts
Mauna Loa, the popular Hawaii-based macadamia nut company, recently recalled their dark chocolate covered macadamias from stores like Walmart, Target, and ACME Markets. The problem? Some bags contained undeclared almonds and cashews, which could be seriously dangerous for anyone with tree nut allergies. The mistake happened at a third-party manufacturing facility where different products got mixed up during packaging. Good news is that nobody reported any allergic reactions, so the issue got caught pretty quickly before anyone ended up in the emergency room.
The recall affected both small 0.6-ounce bags and larger 4-ounce packages sold across 17 states including California, Florida, Texas, and Hawaii. If you bought these chocolates, check the UPC code and lot numbers printed on the package. The affected 0.6-ounce bags have lot numbers K5069C1 or K5069C2 with a best buy date of October 2026. The 4-ounce bags show lot numbers B4339E1 or B4340E1 with a July 2026 expiration. Anyone who purchased these products can return them for a full refund, no questions asked.
Zingerman’s recalled candy bars right before Halloween
Imagine planning your Halloween candy shopping and then finding out your favorite bars got recalled. That’s exactly what happened in October 2025 when Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory pulled two popular candy bars from Michigan and New York stores just days before Halloween. The Peanut Butter Crush Bars contained cashews that weren’t listed on the label, while the Cashew Cow Bars had unlisted peanuts. A breakdown in their production and packaging process caused the allergen information to get mixed up, putting people with nut allergies at serious risk.
The recalled candy bars came in 2-ounce boxes, with the Peanut Butter Crush packaged in yellow and purple boxes and the Cashew Cow in light blue and yellow boxes. Both products had the same lot number, 174250. After investigating what went wrong, Zingerman’s said they fixed their production process to prevent similar mistakes in the future. The company offered full refunds to anyone who bought the affected candy bars, though luckily nobody reported any illnesses or allergic reactions from eating them.
Russell Stover mixed up sugar free candies completely
Talk about a packaging nightmare. Russell Stover Chocolates had to recall their Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups in 2023 because the boxes actually contained Sugar Free Pecan Delights instead. A third-party company that packages products for Russell Stover accidentally wrapped the wrong candies in the wrong boxes, creating a serious allergy risk for anyone who can’t eat pecans. Since pecans count as tree nuts and peanuts are legumes, they require separate allergen warnings on food labels. Someone expecting peanut butter cups who bit into a pecan chocolate could have ended up with a severe allergic reaction.
The mix-up only came to light after a customer contacted Russell Stover to report the error. By that time, the 2.4-ounce bags had already shipped to wholesalers and retail stores nationwide. Fortunately, nobody reported getting sick from eating the mislabeled chocolates. The company moved quickly to pull all affected products from shelves and notify customers about the recall. This incident shows how even established candy makers with strict quality control can run into serious problems when they rely on outside companies for packaging and distribution of their products.
Palmer Candy had salmonella concerns with white coating
Palmer Candy Company has been making sweets since 1878, but that didn’t stop them from having a massive recall problem in 2024. A supplier notified Palmer that their dairy powder, used to make white candy coating, might contain salmonella bacteria. Even though nobody got sick, Palmer decided to recall nearly 30 different products as a precaution. The affected items included candy-coated pretzels, fudge cookies, and snack mixes sold in various sized bags, pouches, and tubs at major retailers like Walmart, Target, Dollar General, and HyVee stores across the country.
The company president admitted the recall affected many tons of products, explaining that when it comes to food safety, 99.9 percent certainty isn’t good enough. Salmonella causes fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps in healthy adults. Young kids, elderly people, and anyone with a weakened immune system can get much sicker, sometimes fatally. The good news is that Palmer caught the potential contamination before anyone got sick from eating their candy. Still, pulling that much product from store shelves right before the holidays probably cost the family-owned business a huge amount of money in lost sales and wasted inventory.
Mars Wrigley gummies contained pieces of metal
Finding metal in your candy sounds like something from a horror movie, but it really happened with Mars Wrigley products in 2022. Customers started reporting that they found thin metal fragments either mixed into their Skittles Gummies and Starburst Gummies or loose inside the packaging. Mars Wrigley quickly issued a recall after multiple complaints came in about the metal pieces. The company warned that these thin metal strands could easily be swallowed or could cut someone’s mouth if they bit down on them while eating the gummies.
Physical contamination like this usually happens when manufacturing equipment breaks down or wears out during production. A small piece of metal from a mixing blade or conveyor belt can break off and end up getting mixed into the candy batch. Quality control should catch these problems, but sometimes contaminated products slip through inspection and make it onto store shelves. Anyone who bought the affected gummy products got urged to throw them away immediately or return them to the store for a refund. Mars Wrigley never publicly explained exactly how the metal got into their candy or how many packages were affected by the contamination.
Clasen Quality Chocolate pulled millions of pounds
One of the biggest chocolate recalls in recent memory happened in June 2024 when Clasen Quality Chocolate withdrew over 4 million pounds of chocolate products from stores. The recall included caramel-flavored drops, milk chocolate wafers, and milk chocolate coating sold in California, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington. The problem was potential salmonella contamination, which could make people seriously sick. Clasen’s company mission talks about being a preferred supplier of safe, high-quality chocolate, but this massive recall showed that even companies focused on quality can run into serious contamination problems.
The FDA gave this recall a Class II rating, meaning eating the contaminated chocolate could cause temporary health problems or manageable medical issues, with a low chance of serious long-term illness. That classification might sound reassuring, but salmonella still makes people pretty miserable with stomach problems, fever, and other symptoms that can last for days. For companies that buy bulk chocolate from Clasen to use in their own products, this recall created a domino effect of problems. They had to check their own inventory, pull finished products from shelves, and notify their customers about potential contamination issues.
Toxic Waste Slime Licker had choking hazard parts
Kids love Toxic Waste candy because it’s super sour and comes in fun packaging. But in 2023, Candy Dynamics had to recall a whopping 70 million bottles of their Slime Licker rolling liquid candy. The problem wasn’t with the candy itself, but with the plastic bottle design. The small rolling ball at the top of each bottle, which kids use to apply the liquid candy, kept coming loose and could easily be swallowed. Candy Dynamics received two customer complaints about the ball detaching during normal use, which was enough to trigger a massive nationwide recall.
The recalled Slime Lickers came in strawberry, blue raspberry, apple, and black cherry varieties. Even though the candy was sold in the United States at stores like Five Below and Walmart, plus on Amazon, the products were actually manufactured in Spain and Colombia. The recall affected an enormous number of bottles, making it one of the largest candy recalls based on sheer volume of units pulled from shelves. Choking hazards are particularly dangerous for younger kids who might not realize the ball came loose until it’s already in their mouth. Parents who bought these candies for their kids got advised to throw them away immediately or return them to the store where they bought them.
Blooming Import candy had banned food coloring
In March 2025, Blooming Import recalled 74 cases of Golden Crop Candy imported from China after discovering serious labeling problems. The wrapped candies contained Blue 1 and Red 40 food coloring, but these ingredients weren’t listed anywhere on the package. Even worse, the candy also contained Acid Red 18, a food coloring that’s completely banned in the United States because it’s been linked to hyperactivity and other health concerns. The FDA gave this recall a Class II rating, meaning the candy could cause temporary health problems or reversible medical issues for people who ate it.
The candy had been distributed to stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Missouri, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, and Delaware before anyone caught the labeling violations. Some people are sensitive to synthetic food dyes and can have allergic reactions or other negative responses when they eat products containing these additives. That’s why food manufacturers have to clearly list all colorings on their ingredient labels. When products get imported from other countries, they need to meet U.S. safety standards and labeling requirements. This recall showed how important it is to properly review and test imported candy before it gets sold to American consumers in regular grocery stores.
Candy recalls happen for all sorts of reasons, from packaging mistakes and allergen mix-ups to contamination with bacteria or foreign objects. While most recalls get issued before anyone gets seriously hurt, they serve as important reminders about food safety. If you bought any recalled candy, return it to the store for a refund and check the FDA website regularly for updates on food recalls. Companies usually post recall information on their websites too, along with customer service numbers you can call with questions or concerns about specific products.
