Despite strict controls, food can become contaminated with chemicals, decay (fungi, bacteria, viruses) or hard materials such as stone, metal, wood or glass. That always causes a commotion, especially when it concerns child food and especially when intent appears to be involved, such as with needles in sandwiches.
Causes
The contamination is usually the result of non-compliance with procedures, such as the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) or a technical defect. Occasionally there appears to be a perpetrator, such as the needles in airline sandwiches. This often concerns dissatisfied employees, people with a mental disorder, extortionists or people with a need for help.
More often chemical and biological
If a contamination is discovered when a product is already on the shelves, the manufacturer must recall that product and often sister products as well. This is called recall. About 60% of recalls are due to contamination. By far the largest part of this concerns contamination with chemical substances or biological material (spoilage). Moreover, 40% of recalls are the result of labels on which the allergen information is incorrect. These products are in principle safe, but not for people who may have a (life-)threatening reaction to certain ingredients, such as nuts, celery or gluten.
Not everything in the media
Manufacturers discover many contaminants themselves. That’s called a silent recall that is never reported for obvious reasons. From 2005, producers are obliged to report errors to the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority when other companies are needed to keep the food in question away from consumers. If the manufacturer can only do it because the product is not yet on the shelves, the notification can be omitted.What were all the high-profile cases about unwanted bits in food?
| Year | Type of food | Material | Producer / retail |
| 2012 | Sandwiches | Needles | Gate gourmet / Delta Airlines |
| 2011 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| 2010 | Instant coffee | Glass | Nescafe |
| 2009 | Apple turnovers | Copper metal | C1000 |
| Potato chips | Unknown hard | Lays | |
| Cruesli | Iron wire | Quaker | |
| 2008 | gingerbread | Metal | Peijnenburg |
| Spread liver sausage | Metal | Verberghe | |
| 2007 | Jars of herring | Glass | Ikea |
| Sweets | Silicone | Mars | |
| Baby powder milk | Metal | Kruidvat | |
| Bread | Pistol bullet | Jumbo | |
| Irish Coffee | Glass | Siebrand | |
| 2006 | Lemonade | Glass | Burg |
| Vegetable Dish | Glass | Igloo | |
| Yogurt | Glass | Bauer | |
| 2005 | Rye bread | Metal | Bolletje |
Finally
An affair and associated recall entail enormous costs, so manufacturers investigate where in the production chain the cause lay. With themselves? With a supplier or the carrier? Or only in the store? Is there an error or is it malicious intent? The need for investigation became apparent in 2007 when rusted screws were found in milk at C1000. The type of screw turned out not to exist at all at Friesche Vlag.