- A new report breaks down just how many food recalls happened last year.
- Food safety experts call the findings concerning.
- Experts explain how to prevent foodborne illness and use proper safety.
While things have slowed down slightly, there was a point last year where it felt like a new and scary food recall surfaced every week. Organic carrots, Boar’s Head deli meats, McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, and more popular products were pulled from shelves or stores in 2024 over the risk of serious illnesses. But a new report shows it didn’t just feel like there were a lot of food recalls in 2024—there actually was a significant jump in them.
Meet the experts: Barbara Kowalcyk, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University; Darin Detwiler, L.P.D., author of Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and a professor at Northeastern University; Wade Syers, D.Soc.Sci., a statewide Michigan State University Extension food safety specialist
The report is raising a lot of questions about the current state of food safety in the U.S., especially with the recent resignation of Jim Jones, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s deputy commissioner for human foods, due to large numbers of layoffs in people who work to protect the country’s food supply. Here’s what food safety experts want you to know before you panic.
What did the report find?
The report, which was published by the Public Interest Research Group, a nonprofit consumer protection group, analyzed data from food recalls in 2024. The researchers found that there were about 300 food recalls last year, leading to nearly 1,400 illnesses.
Those recalls were associated with 487 people being hospitalized, as well as 19 deaths. Unfortunately, the 2024 hospitalizations and deaths are double the number that took place in 2023.
Overall, 13 outbreaks caused 98% of the illnesses linked to food safety issues, and the vast majority of those major outbreaks involved listeria, salmonella, or E.coli. These were the biggest causes of food recalls in 2024, based on the data:
- Undeclared allergens (34.1%)
- Listeria (22%)
- Salmonella (13.9%)
- Excessive lead (4.4%)
- Foreign material (4.1%)
- E.coli (3.4%)
Why were there so many food recalls in 2024?
There are a few reasons why there were so many food recalls in 2024. One is a failure by corporate executives to prioritize sanitation and other food safety compliance, says Darin Detwiler, L.P.D., author of Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and a professor at Northeastern University.
But recurring contamination issues were also a big issue, he says. “Recent outbreaks, such as the Boar’s Head Listeria incident linked to deli meats and the Taylor Farms E. coli outbreak associated with onions used by McDonald’s, highlight persistent problems in food processing and handling,” Detwiler says. “Also, companies distributed food across multiple states before knowing test results to determine if they were pathogen-free.”
Still, this is “a really complex issue,” says Barbara Kowalcyk, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University. “We don’t find outbreaks if we don’t look for them,” she explains. “We’re doing more investigations, but we also have better tools to do investigations with.” As a result, the U.S. may be going through more outbreaks than before, but the food supply is becoming more tightly regulated, she says.
How concerned about this should people be?
Detwiler says the findings are concerning. “The statistics are alarming: Foodborne pathogens are responsible for an estimated 3,000 American deaths annually,” he says. “The recent increase in recalls and associated illnesses indicates that consumers face a growing risk of encountering contaminated food products.”
Detwiler is also concerned about recent FDA layoffs and leadership changes. Those have “resulted in a fragmented oversight system and delayed responses to contamination events,” he says. While the future number of food recalls may go down, it could be due to less oversight due to staffing issues, not more, he says.
But not everyone who works in food safety is worried. “In my opinion, our food supply has gotten safer over time,” says Wade Syers, D.Soc.Sci., a statewide Michigan State University Extension food safety specialist. The total number of foodborne illnesses has gone down over the past decade, even though there are still plenty of outbreaks, he points out.
How to prevent foodborne illness and stay safe
Food safety experts stress that having access to safe foods shouldn’t be something that consumers have to worry about. Instead, Detwiler says that “systemic reforms” need to happen to create better solutions over time.
For now, though, Detwiler recommends doing the below to be as safe as possible when it comes to your food:
- Stay up to date on recall information. Both the FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have websites that list the latest food recalls. Detwiler recommends regularly checking those and examining your own products at home if you suspect they’re part of a recall.
- Be cautious with high-risk foods. Some foods are more likely to be contaminated than others. Those include raw dairy, bagged leafy greens, pre-cut fruits, deli meats, and undercooked poultry.
- Buy from reputable brands. That means choosing products from companies that prioritize food safety and provide clear information about their sourcing and handling practices.
- Practice personal food safety. “Properly wash, cook, and store foods to reduce the risk of contamination,” Detwiler says.
But Kowalcyk stresses that public health officials and scientists are using better methods to detect food safety issues sooner, ultimately helping to keep the food supply safer. “The size of the outbreaks has gone down,” she says. “We’re catching them sooner.”
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