A recent wave of food recalls and outbreaks in the United States has sparked headlines and concern among many. E. coli, listeria, and other pathogens have contaminated popular foods in recent months — and in some cases, the consequences have been deadly.
Food recalls are not new, but it seems like there's a new one every week these days. A slew of contaminated food — from carrots and ground beef to frozen waffles and fast food burgers — has some Americans on high alert and wondering: What is safe to eat these days? (Spoiler: a lot of food, still).
As millions of people prepare to cook and eat over Thanksgiving, questions about the safety of the country’s food supply loom.
TODAY.com spoke to experts about why there have been so many food recalls lately, which bacteria and foods are most often to blame, and what consumers can do to stay safe.
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Are food recalls on the rise?
The number food recalls varies every year. Most recalls in the U.S. are carried out voluntarily by the product manufacturer or distributor, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which investigates food-borne illness outbreaks.
Are recalls on the rise? The number of recalls in the U.S. have increased steadily in the last few years and, in 2023, reached the highest level since the pandemic, per FDA data. "There's been a 20-25% increase in recalls over the last two to three years," Darin Detwiler, Ph.D., professor of food regulatory policy at Northeastern University, tells TODAY.com.
So far in 2024, there have been 1,908 product recalls of "food and/or cosmetics," compared to 1,563 in 2023, FDA data show.
While recalls may be going up, what’s happening this year isn’t out of the ordinary, experts say. The average number of food recalls in recent years is still lower than in the years before the pandemic. In 2015 and 2017, food recalls reached record-highs. (FDA data on recalls is available from 2012 to present.)
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"There may be a perception that the amount of recalls has increased particularly if one recall event has a large number of affected products, however the number of food related recall events in 2024 is generally consistent with years past," an FDA spokesperson tells TODAY.com.
Any deadly outbreak is concerning, especially when it involves household names. “There has been a lot of attention on recalls recently, especially when it happens to very visible brands,” Martin Bucknavage, a food safety specialist at the Penn State Department of Food Science, tells TODAY.com.
Recalls are categorized into three classes based on the product's potential to cause harm, per the FDA. A class I recall may cause severe illness or death; a class II recall may cause temporary illness or injury; a class III recall is not likely to cause illness.
The majority of food recalls in 2024 have been in the most severe category, class I. There have also been more class I recalls this year than in 2023, per FDA data.
Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that most of the recalls in recent years were due to undisclosed allergens or potential contamination with pathogens or foreign material (such as metal).
Are food-borne illness outbreaks on the rise?
There are an estimated 48 million cases of food-borne illness in the U.S. every year, which result in around 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, per the CDC.
Outbreaks occur when two or more people get sick from eating the same contaminated food. Not all food recalls are linked to food-borne illness outbreaks, per the FDA. Many foods are recalled due to potential contamination and may not lead to reported illnesses.
“I don’t think there is really anything unusual going on when it comes to food-borne disease,” Thomas Skinner, a CDC spokesperson, tells TODAY.com.
According to the CDC's 2023 Food Safety report published this year, the incidence of salmonella, listeria, and shigella remained stable in 2023 but increased for certain strains of E. coli, as well as campylobacter, cyclospora, yersinia, and vibrio. However, the report suggests that improvements in testing may be driving increases in illnesses.
Why are there so many food recalls lately?
There are several possible theories for the uptick in recalls. Experts point to an increasingly imported food supply and rise in processed foods, both of which have contributed to a more complex food supply chain.
"Our food industry is relying on way more global sourcing of ingredients, so you're increasing the chances for issues," says Detwiler. Food traveling through multiple countries and facilities can become tainted with germs during any step of its journey.
Detwiler points to a recent example, lead-contaminated applesauce which poisoned hundreds of people in the U.S. last year. The likely source of contamination was a cinnamon processor in Ecuador.
At the same time, ultraprocessed and ready-to-eat foods are being consumed “at a rate far greater than ever before,” Detwiler adds. And because making these foods requires more steps, equipment, surfaces and facilities, there are more opportunities for contamination, Bucknavage explains.
"It could be a small event in one facility or on a given production line, but (the contamination) can get spread far and wide," says Bucknavage.
Another possible explanation is that there have been improvements in food safety measures, detection methods and tracing. "We have much better technology in terms of identifying these issues, tracing them back to their sources, and pulling the product off shelves," says Bucknavage.
Recalls, while alarming, are also a sign that the food safety system is working. “Recalling a product is a critical tool for protecting the public against harmful products," says the FDA spokesperson.
"Looking at the data on outbreaks and recalls, there's no indication to say that our food supply is suddenly worse," says Bucknavage. "The U.S. food supply remains one of the safest in the world," the FDA spokesperson adds.
While the risk of contamination in the food supply chain can be lowered, "we are never going to eliminate it completely," says Bucknavage.
FDA recalls for food
The FDA lists all active recalls of food products on its website. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also tracks recalls and public health alerts.
Some of the more prominent, recent food recalls that the FDA and FSIS have issued statements about include:
- Ready-to-eat meat products over to listeria risk
- Whole and baby carrots due to E. coli contamination
- Raw ground beef due to E. coli risk
- Smoked salmon due to listeria risk
- Eggs due to risk of salmonella
- Frozen waffles and pancakes due to risk of listeria
- Ready-to-eat chicken and turkey due to risk of listeria
- Deli meat over listeria risk
CDC foodborne outbreak notices
The CDC keeps a list of active investigations into multi-state foodborne outbreaks on its website. Some recent ones include:
- Organic carrots linked to an E. coli outbreak
- McDonald's Quarter Pounders linked to an E. coli outbreak
- Boar's Head meat sliced at delis linked to a listeria outbreak
- Diamond Shruumz brand chocolate bars potentially linked to severe illness
- Cucumbers linked to a salmonella outbreak (this is a closed investigation)
- Organic walnuts linked to an E. coli outbreak (this is a closed investigation)
Most common food-borne pathogens
Bacteria, viruses or fungi can contaminate food and make people sick. "The three we see the most often (in the U.S.) are E coli, listeria and salmonella," says Detwiler.
While these pathogens often cause mild gastrointestinal illness in most healthy people, they can also lead to severe complications and death, especially in high-risk groups, including young children, the elderly, pregnant and immunocompromised individuals.
E. coli
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria found in the environment and the intestines of humans and animals. Most types of E. coli are harmless but some can produce toxins that cause severe illness, per the CDC.
Transmission of E. coli typically occurs through eating contaminated food. E. coli bacteria from the intestines of cattle can contaminate meat during the slaughter process and get mixed into ground beef. Bacteria can also get into produce if a farm is downstream from cattle operations, which can contaminate water and soil, says Detwiler.
Common sources: Raw or undercooked ground beef, fresh produce, and raw milk, according to the FDA.
Listeria
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can contaminate food and cause severe illness in pregnant people and their newborns, according to the CDC.
"Listeria is most likely to contaminate a product after it has been processed and before it's packaged," typically when food touches contaminated food and surfaces, says Bucknavage. Unlike other pathogens, listeria can grow at refrigerated temperatures. It's an incredibly hardy germ that can be difficult to get rid of.
Common sources: Lunch meats, deli spreads, soft cheeses, unpasteurized dairy, raw vegetables, refrigerated pâtés, smoked seafood and sprouts, per the CDC.
Salmonella
Salmonella is one of the leading causes of food-borne illness in the U.S. The bacteria can live in the intestines of animals and humans, and are shed through feces, per the Mayo Clinic.
Salmonella can contaminate a wide variety of foods and crops because many animals carry it,says Bucknavage. It can get into food that comes into contact with animal feces and spread through cross-contamination or by infected food handlers who don't wash their hands.
Common sources: Raw and undercooked meat or poultry, eggs, unpasteurized dairy, raw produce, and even processed foods such as nut butters.
Food-borne illness symptoms
Typical symptoms of food-borne illness include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
- Vomiting
All three of the most common food-borne pathogens can also lead to more severe complications.
E. coli can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure or death.
Listeria can lead to meningitis, seizures, death and miscarriage in pregnant people, as well as low birth weight, or disability and death in newborns, per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Salmonella can sometime infect the urine, blood, bones, joints, or the nervous system, per the CDC.
Risky foods that often get contaminated
No food is 100% risk-free, but certain foods are more likely to be contaminated with food-borne pathogens or associated with outbreaks, the experts say. These include:
- Raw or undercooked poultry and meat
- Raw eggs or foods containing them
- Raw fish and shellfish
- Cantaloupes
- Leafy greens
- Raw onions
- Raw sprouts
- Unpasteurized milk or cheese
Certain risky foods, such as raw vegetables, don’t need to be avoided entirely, but there are ways to make them safer. "I'd rather people eat produce and have a healthier diet than avoiding greens and stuff like that," says Bucknavage.
Cooking with heat kills most bacteria. Consider cooking raw veggies, such as leafy greens. For produce you don't typically cook, such as cantaloupe, you can clean it with a brush — but for Detwiler, it’s still too risky. “I avoid cantaloupe almost religiously,” he says.
Avoiding or limiting foods that are more likely to be contaminated is especially important for high-risk individuals, such as children under age 4, pregnant, elderly and immunocompromised people.
Food safety for young children is a topic personal to Detwiler, whose 16-month-old son died from E. coli in 1993 during an outbreak linked to contaminated hamburger meat.
Always talk to your doctor if you have questions.
How to stay safe during food recalls
While the influx of recalls may be concerning, there's no reason to panic, the experts say. "When we realize how much food is consumed in this country daily with no issues, I wouldn't necessarily worry," says Bucknavage.
"I don't want people to be afraid of food ... but we need to have conversations with our families (and children) about how to best protect our ourselves and why we do certain things," says Detwiler. Taking simple steps and avoiding cooking mistakes can help you stay safe.
The first is to stay informed by checking the FDA and CDC websites.
Other tips:
- Discard or return any recalled food.
- Eat food before the expiration or "best by" date.
- Wash hands often and always before eating or cooking.
- Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods.
- Clean surfaces and utensils often.
- Thoroughly wash and dry produce.
- Cook foods to a safe internal temperature (see USDA guidelines).
- Store and chill food promptly.
- Don't leave cooked food out in the "danger zone" (40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit).
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