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What's 'Blue Plastic' That Led FDA To Recall Over 20,000 Peanut Butter Products

Food contamination by foreign materials such as plastic is treated seriously by regulators, though health risks vary depending on the quantity and exposure.

What's 'Blue Plastic' That Led FDA To Recall Over 20,000 Peanut Butter Products
Image: NDTV Food

More than 20,000 peanut butter products were recalled across the United States after contamination concerns surfaced during a routine inspection, the Mint reported, quoting the Food and Drug Administration as saying.  

The affected items, produced by Ventura Foods and distributed under multiple brand names, were flagged when inspectors found fragments of blue plastic in a production filter at the manufacturing facility. The recall covers both single-serve peanut butter packets and small cups containing peanut butter and jelly that were sold across nearly 40 states nationwide

What Brands Were Recalled?

The products were marketed under several private-label brands, including US Foods, DYMA Brands, Flavor Fresh, Sysco House Recipe, Katy's Kitchen and Gordon Food Service, prompting a wide-scale withdrawal from the market. Although the recall was first sent in April 2025, regulators formally classified it as a Class II recall on February 12, indicating that exposure to the products could cause temporary or medically reversible health problems, while the likelihood of serious harm remains low.

The recalled batches were distributed across Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Ventura Foods Responds

"Ten months ago, DYMA Brands initiated a voluntary recall on various single-use peanut butter products due to the potential presence of a foreign material (plastic)," Mint reported that a spokesperson for Ventura Foods as saying. "While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation and classification process is thorough and can take time to complete, that timeline did not impact our actions."

"At the time the recall was initiated ... we acted with urgency to remove all potentially impacted products from the marketplace. This includes urging our customers, their distributors and retailers to immediately review their inventory, segregate and stop the further sale and distribution of any products subject to the recall," the spokesperson further added.

What Is 'Blue Plastic'?

According to roechling.com, nlue plastic is widely used in the food industry for contamination detection, as the colour rarely occurs naturally in food, making any fragments easy for inspectors and machine-vision systems to spot. It is commonly used in high-visibility, food-safe equipment and materials, including tools, packaging, personal protective equipment, and conveyor components, such as brushes, gloves, liners and containers.

Are Blue Plastic Harmful? Are They Banned in the US?

Food contamination by foreign materials such as plastic is treated seriously by regulators, though health risks vary depending on the quantity and exposure.

According to a report by the Associated Press, food recalls in the United States are often triggered by the presence of foreign objects including plastic, metal, or other materials.

The report also pointed out that such contamination is usually classified as "extraneous material," and recalls are frequently precautionary because even small fragments can pose a choking or injury risk, though not all cases result in severe health harm.

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