One of the largest food recalls in U.S. history had direct—and devastating—impact on the snack and bakery industry. In 2009, peanut butter ingredients infected with Salmonella Typhimurium from the Peanut Corp. of America caused the recall of over 3,600 food products, causing reported illness in over 700 people. Many more affected people likely fell ill due to the outbreak, with countless cases going unreported.
Nine people are thought to have died as a direct result of the PCA Salmonella outbreak. And the economic impact has been estimated at $1 billion.