5 Food Recalls That Could Impact Your Thanksgiving

From cranberry sauce to turnips, turkey to sweet potato pie, green beans to spinach dip, our Thanksgiving grocery shopping lists can be pretty extensive. (And pricey, but that's a whole 'nother issue.)

What's worse than not being able to find a product you need in store? How about not being able to purchase a much-needed ingredient because it's contaminated and has been totally pulled from the grocery shelves?

READ MORE: Thanksgiving Shopping List Items You'll Most Likely Forget

Nationwide and local food recalls can certainly impact your everyday food shopping, but it can also make grocery shopping during the holidays even more chaotic than usual.

From baked goods to common stuffing ingredients, plan ahead for your Thanksgiving grocery shopping as the U.S. faces various food recalls in November 2024.

Carrots

Whether cooked sweet or savory, carrots are often incorporated into the Thanksgiving spread as a crowd-pleasing side dish. Unfortunately, on Nov. 16, Grimmway Farms issued a voluntary recall on select brands of its organic whole and baby carrots sold nationwide.

The affected carrots sold between August and October may have been contaminated by E. coli and, while not still available for purchase in stores, may still be in customers’ fridges and/or freezers.

Recalled brands include but are not limited to Trader Joe’s, Wholesome Pantry, Wegmans, Good & Gather, Bunny Luv, Nature’s Promise and O-Organics.

Cinnamon Powder

From glazed carrots to pumpkin pie and candied yams, sweet, spicy cinnamon is a must-have ingredient in your pantry come Thanksgiving time, but you may want to be careful what brand you buy following a number of lead-related cinnamon powder recalls this year.

On Nov. 18, IHA Beverage issued a voluntary recall of their Super Brand cinnamon powder distributed primarily via retail stores throughout California and other states due to suspected lead contamination. The potentially contaminated product was packaged in 4 oz. plastic bags labeled as Super Dried Cinnamon Powder.

No illnesses connected to the product recall have been reported as of publishing.

Celery

Whether finely chopped up for stuffing, sliced into sticks for dip or used in a casserole or soup, celery is a versatile veggie that often finds its way into various Thanksgiving dishes.

Thankfully, celery as a whole seems to be safe this season. However, if you specifically purchased a bag of Whole Foods Market 15 oz. Organic Carrots & Celery, you'll likely want to get yourself a new stalk of the green stuff. On Nov. 20, F&S Fresh Foods announced a recall of this particular pack of mixed carrots and celery from Whole Foods due to potential E. coli contamination. (No other celery at Whole Foods appears to be impacted by the recall.)

According to the FDA, the potentially contaminated packs are no longer on shelves, but may already be in customers' fridges or freezers after being sold in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho and Nevada.

Onion Soup Mix

From stuffing to dips, onion soup mix is one of the unsung heroes of Thanksgiving. While there are many brands that offer onion soup mix, you might want to check your pantry this holiday season to make sure your packet isn't contaminated by an unexpected allergen — at least, if you live on the East Coast.

The Bowl & Basket brand of onion soup mix made by the Gilster Mary Lee company and sold by ShopRite grocery stores (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connectcity, Delaware and Maryland) was recalled on Nov. 12 because the product may contain undeclared egg, which is a major allergen.

According to the FDA, the only products involved in the recall "are Bowl & Basket Onion Soup Mix, packaged in 2 oz. cartons which have a best by date of 9/27/25 or 10/11/25." According to the recall, "consumers should return the product to the store for a full refund or discard it," and "no illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this coating mix."

Cinnamon Rolls & Cheese Danishes

What's a Thanksgiving without a few scrumptious baked goods? Cheese danishes and cinnamon rolls are just two of the yummy, ooey-gooey pastries that pair great with a nice hot cup of coffee after Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, you may want to think twice about getting your goodies from Walmart this year — but just these two specific items that may be contaminated with plastic pieces.

In November, the JM Smucker Company announced a voluntary recall of its Great Value Cinnamon Rolls and Great Value Cheese Danishes, both sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide, after some products were found to be contaminated by plastic.

The recall, which was initiated on Nov. 1, is still ongoing but has been lowered to Class II as of publishing.