Here's Why Food Recalls Have Been On The Rise In 2024

American consumers can't ignore the recent series of food recalls. Over the past few months, an uptick in recalls of food products has been circulating news sites, grocery stores, and home refrigerators. From listeria-contaminated ready-to-eat meat products, frozen waffles, and cheeses to a fast-food-borne E. coli outbreak to fresh produce carrying salmonella, American food products have been increasingly infecting customers; predicating a series of product recalls.

As in other industries, recalls in the food industry are common — but not at this level. Darin Detwiler, a food safety expert and professor at Northeastern University, reported food-related recalls rose by 20% between 2020 and 2023 (via Northeastern Global News). Evidently, the trend has not ended — nor subsided — this year. Detwiler attributes the increase in recalls to a combination of working factors. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is undergoing a shift in organization and attempting to streamline its processes of assessing and ensuring food safety and this reworking of the FDA may be causing temporary mishaps in its workflow. Another contributing factor is that the food industry is still grappling with the wake of COVID-19, when manufacturers loosened their safety regulations. 

Detwiler said these factors' simultaneous effects on the food industry has caused the recalls and unveiled areas for improvement. "Together, these elements have led to a surge in recalls," he said. "While it's unclear if one particular issue is driving the trend, the combination suggests that there are vulnerabilities within the food regulatory system that need to be addressed to restore consumer confidence."

While a continual surge of recalls should sound alarms, some positive advancements may be gleaned from the recent food recall increase. The food industry has experienced improved pathogen-detection technology. New technologies are more accurate in being able to spot the presence of harmful bacteria, and they're able to do it sooner. These technological developments may further inform food safety officials in their efforts to enact updated regulations.

Though living amid multiple widespread foodborne illness outbreaks is cautionary, there are certain measures consumers can take to mitigate their own risk of consuming contaminated foods. The FDA and USDA routinely update their websites about information regarding food-related recalls. Avoiding recalled food or products related to foods subject to a recall will limit your chances of infection. It is crucial to be responsible with your own cooking and cleaning — make sure your food is prepared to the proper doneness to avoid exposing yourself to illness.