- Gerber recalls Arrowroot Biscuits over possible plastic or paper pieces.
- The recall affects specific batches sold nationwide in mid-2025.
- No illnesses have been reported from the contaminated teething snacks.
- This incident is part of a larger pattern of plastic contaminating food.
- Foreign materials like plastic are a leading cause of food recalls.
Another day, another recall – and this time, the alert is for parents and caregivers. Gerber Products Company, a trusted name in childhood nutrition, is recalling specific batches of its Arrowroot Biscuits because those gentle teething snacks might contain pieces of soft plastic or paper. It’s a sobering notification that cuts to the heart of consumer trust, revealing yet another crack in our modern food supply chain.
The Virginia-based company announced the voluntary nationwide recall on January 28, targeting biscuits sold between July and September 2025. The recall affects 5.5-ounce packages with 21 different batch codes and "Best Before" dates ranging from October 16 to December 16, 2026. Gerber advised consumers who have bought the affected products not to feed them to their children and to return them to the retailer for a refund. The company stated the action was taken "out of an abundance of caution."
A supplier’s failure
According to the company, the root of the problem came from outside. The pieces of plastic and paper stem from an "arrowroot flour supplier who initiated a recall," Gerber said. "We are no longer working with the flour supplier." In its statement, the company emphasized, "The quality, safety and integrity of our products remain our highest priority, and we take this responsibility seriously. We sincerely apologize for any concerns or inconvenience this action causes for parents, caregivers, and retail customers."
No illnesses or injuries have been reported from the biscuits. Yet the incident is far from isolated. It fits neatly into a disturbing and growing pattern of foreign material contaminating the food we and our children are expected to eat without a second thought.
Plastic everywhere
This is not a one-off accident. It is a symptom of a larger systemic failure. Last November, Costco and its supplier Ventura Foods recalled certain lots of Caesar Salad and Chicken Sandwich with Caesar Dressing due to "possible presence of plastic foreign materials in the salad dressing." That recall followed a separate, massive Class II recall by Ventura Foods for thousands of gallons of dressings and condiments, including products sold at Costco and Publix, over black plastic planting material.
The list goes on. In January, a recall was issued for more than 38,000 cases of frozen tater tots, including Ore-Ida brand, because clear, hard plastic fragments were found in the products. Last July, Kayem Foods recalled more than 24,000 pounds of chicken sausage after consumer complaints of white plastic pieces, and Danone U.S. recalled yogurt products due to plastic pieces in the container lids.
This barrage of recalls points to a chronic issue in food manufacturing. A September 2023 study noted that over the past two decades, foreign materials have been responsible for about one out of ten food recalls, with plastic fragments being the most common culprit. "Plastic foreign materials can contaminate food from many sources like equipment, hand tools, freezer belts, conveyors, and some packaging materials," the study found.
The problem is compounded by detection challenges. The study explained that many manufacturers use low-density plastics because they are cheaper, but these plastics have a lower density than water, making them nearly impossible to detect with standard systems designed to identify contamination.
The recall treadmill
What we are witnessing is a recall treadmill, where one announcement quickly blurs into the next. From ahi tuna with Listeria to pancake sticks with wood pieces and Prosecco bottles that could shatter spontaneously, the alerts keep coming. More than 300 food recalls were reported across the U.S. in 2025 alone, according to FDA and USDA data summarized by national outlets. This constant drumbeat of warnings breeds justified anxiety and mountains of waste.
For parents now checking their Gerber biscuit boxes, the frustration is deeply personal. It transforms a simple act of care into a moment of suspicion. When foundational brands serving our most vulnerable populations are caught in this web, it signals a breakdown that mere apologies and refunds cannot fix.
The conclusion is inescapable. We have built a food system where speed, cost, and complexity too often trump fundamental safety. Each recall notice is a small flare sent up from the front lines of this failure. Until the industry prioritizes prevention over post-contamination damage control, and invests in the technology and rigorous oversight needed to stop plastic and other pollutants at the source, these alerts will keep arriving. The real question is how many more warnings we will receive before real change is forced upon a broken system.
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