Why Are Food Recalls on the Rise?

Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on February 2, 2025

Why are food recalls on the rise? It seems like every day there is something else being recalled. For some this causes immense anxiety as we scour our cabinets, fridge and freezers to make sure the contaminated foods are out of our homes. In recent years the major peanut butter recall for example caused great stress as we had ordered online and didn’t have a way to return. I disposed of it as quickly as possible and found myself feeling very anxious over the recall because in all reality I do not want to see my family become sick or even worse.

Let’s take a look at why recalls seem to be on the rise:

According to Business Insider, last year, more than 11, 000 people got sick from recalled foods, and six people died. The issues weren’t limited to one area of food products, either. Everything from herbs and spices to meats and dairy has been recalled for various reasons.

Foods can be recalled for pathogens, such as when Walmart recalled ground beef for possible E.coli contamination. Foods can also be recalled due to issues with packaging, like when jasmine rice was recalled for having glass in the bags.

Most recalls are for undeclared allergens, though, like when the FDA recalled multiple products this month for containing allergens that were not put on the label. These types of issues can be deadly.

One reason for the increased recalls, according to the report, is that our foods are increasingly coming from other countries, some of which do not have the same regulations that we have. Plus, it makes it harder for contaminants to be traced.

Another reason is that production operations are getting larger. We see huge farms, huge food plants, and huge warehouses everywhere. That size can lead to a lot of oversight.

But one of the biggest problems is that many of the agencies that regulate food are understaffed and underpaid, so things don’t always get done the way they should.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service is a branch of the USDA and it handles recalls on eggs, meat, and poultry. The FDA handles just about every other type of recall. Once a product complaint is filed, they investigate and sometimes that can take months.

The CDC does not directly handle recalls, but it plays a crucial role in identifying and investigating outbreaks of illnesses that may lead to recalls. The CDC collaborates with the FDA, the USDA, and other agencies.

These agencies inspect everything from production facilities to packaging, transportation, and food products. Individual companies can also make their own inspections, and many do so to ensure that they are creating safe products. If they find anything that is concerning, they can issue a voluntary recall, and the previously mentioned agencies share that recall with consumers.

When the recall happens, the product has to be removed from stores, and the manufacturing company has to pay stores for those products. So, recalls take time and cost a lot of money, and while these inspections and investigations are happening, unsafe food is hitting the shelves.

How do you protect your family? Check your foods, keep an eye on Make Food Safe for recall information, clean properly before and after preparing food and importantly report anything that may be different or illnesses to companies and local health departments. If you become ill seek medical attention.