Food Experts Reveal What’s Really Behind All of These Food Recalls

• Food recalls rose 15% from 2020 to 2024, with issues such as salmonella exposure and mislabeled products.
• Recalls often result from manufacturers detecting problems post-production or health agencies recognizing illness clusters through investigations.
• Experts attribute this rise to improved traceability and technology, as opposed to a decline in food safety standards.
  

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Lately, it seems like there’s a new food recall issued every few weeks. And the uptick isn’t your imagination: Between 2020 and 2024, the total number of food recalls increased by 15%.

In fact, while we were reporting this story, the outbreak of salmonella in cucumbers across multiple states picked up momentum. Before that, it was Trader Joe’s sesame miso salmon salads, celery sticks, tomatoes, Stouffer’s frozen meals (possible contaminant – wood!) and a lot more.

Is this increase in food recalls because the food safety and production system is getting worse? Or has traceability improved? Perhaps it’s just that we’re exposed to more information across various platforms and devices, therefore noticing recalls in new ways?

“I wouldn’t say that the overall safety of the U.S. food system has changed,” says Abby Snyder, associate professor of microbial food safety at Cornell University. “Recalls happen periodically largely due to unintended food safety failures, and sometimes that means several recalls will happen in short succession. The ability of the food industry and FDA to recognize when a recall should be initiated, and to carry recalls out effectively, is a key component of what helps keep our food system safe.”

The reason recalls might seem to be more frequent is due to technology improvements and access, says food safety scientist Gale Prince, founder of Sage Food Safety, who’s been working on food recalls in the U.S. since 1968. “When you break out the reasons for a recall, that data has not changed much in 15 years,” he says. “The most frequent reason each year will vary between microbiological or allergen. Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella are the most frequent causes for recalls.”

Here’s more about why food recalls occur, what various recall classes mean and how to stay on top of the latest recalls.

Manufacturers and agencies are able to follow a product through its entire lifecycle, from where it was grown, to the places it winds up for sale thanks to the UPC label and “lot” numbers on each product. This ability to trace each product helps identify problems with food safety very quickly.

“Government agencies like the FDA do a lot of the work to identify when an outbreak is occurring, and they help ensure that contaminated product is out of the market through recalls when necessary,” says Snyder, who notes that advances in technology have helped food safety groups get better and faster at detecting outbreaks.

Outbreaks are commonly recognized when a government public health agency notices a cluster of cases. A cluster is a group of people who were made sick by the same pathogen and even two people getting sick could qualify as an outbreak.

Epidemiologists can recognize these clusters through disease surveillance that includes sequencing the genome of the pathogen, like Listeria, and then tracking when a bunch of closely related Listeria starts making people sick.

Once epidemiologists recognize a cluster of cases, they can start an investigation, Snyder says. “For example, if the investigators interview all the people who got sick within this cluster, they will try to determine if many of them happened to eat the same thing. That evidence directs them to the next step of their investigation where they may go to the producer of the food that was commonly consumed among the sick people and collect samples for testing to see if they can also find the same foodborne pathogen in the food or in the environment where the food was produced.”

Even though the system is getting better and faster, it can still take time to identify every product where the offending food might have wound up. “When you have an ingredient in a product that is the causative agent, and the ingredient is used by multiple companies, then that causes lots of confusion as you’re trying to pinpoint why different products are creating the same issue,” says Prince. For example, if lettuces from a specific lot were used by a vending machine company to include in premade sandwiches, and by a school for children’s lunches, and in a hospital cafeteria, it might be tough to nail down which food was causing the illnesses.

“Strong traceability is essential to effective recalls,” Snyder states. “If you can’t identify the products that are potentially contaminated, you can’t warn retailers and consumers not to eat them.”

The majority of the food recalls are triggered by food manufacturers when their quality control procedures detect a problem after the production process and the product is in the marketplace, Prince says.

It’s smart to do an inventory of your refrigerator, freezer, and cabinets after a recall. In fact, it might be worthwhile to read over the latest recalls, market withdrawals, and safety alerts that occurred this year and consider whether you would have any of these products in your home.

If your family is concerned about allergens, read labels to see if you have any of the products on hand that accidentally were mislabeled and contain ingredients not listed on the label.

Also, be mindful of the temperature of perishable foods. “If the products don’t feel properly refrigerated, it may be best to consider purchasing them elsewhere, if possible,” says Prince. “Listeria is a common environmental contaminant and can grow (slowly) at refrigerated temperatures. Storage time and temperature are very important in controlling the growth.”

In addition to proper refrigeration, “you want to make sure the produce looks good, you feel good about the place, and everything feels clean and well taken care of and maintained,” Prince adds.

Learning the class recall levels and reading up on alerts can go a long way to helping your family stay healthy.

There are three levels of food recalls in the U.S.:

• Class I is the most severe and is used when the product poses a significant health risk, potentially causing serious adverse health outcomes or death. Examples would include a product contaminated with pathogens like Salmonella or products that contain some undeclared allergens
• Class II is used for products that may pose a temporary or medically reversible health issue. An example of Class II recalls is yeast and mold spoilage.
• Class III is the least severe and is used when the product may cause minor issues that are unlikely to cause harm but still violate regulations. An example would be mislabeling of product – say putting the watermelon flavor in the green apple package – that doesn’t introduce any allergen mislabeling concerns

To stay on top of the latest recalls, sign up on the FDA website to be alerted to any/all recalls or check Recalls.gov. Just be aware that you might get a lot of notifications – non-consumable products are there, too — so you’ll need to screen what comes in.

Secondly, sign up for your favorite retailer’s emails and promotions. Often recalls involve specific lot codes, so you may need to check your product against what is posted online in recall announcements, Snyder suggests. If you get deliveries directly from a local grocery store (not through a third party like Instacart) and use an account or loyalty program, they may have a record of your purchases and could alert you via email or app notifications in the event of a recall.

If allergens are a concern, always read labels and take the extra step when trying something new to see if a product has been recalled due to an allergen being left off of the label.

“Food safety is a partnership from the farmer to the processor to the retailer to the restaurant, to the consumer, all the way through,” says Prince. “It’s your responsibility to stay on top of recalls and be diligent about staying informed of the latest developments.”

Diana Kelly Levey is a freelance journalist and former magazine editor (Prevention, WW, Muscle & Fitness) who’s been covering health, lifestyle, pets and personal finance topics for two decades. She’s written for PEOPLE, Real Simple, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Health, Health, and a number of health and lifestyle brands. When she isn’t writing, you can find her trying new strength training workouts, walking her dog, or chasing her kids around Long Island, NY. Learn more at DianaKelly.com.

Stefani (she/her) is a registered dietitian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition and Fitness Lab, where she oversees all nutrition and fitness-related content, testing and evaluation. She holds a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from New York University, as well as advanced certifications as a Women’s Fitness Specialist and a Behavior Change Specialist. Stefani is dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based content to encourage informed food choices and healthy living. She is an avid CrossFitter and a passionate home cook who loves spending time with her big fit Greek family.