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In 2024, food recalls in the United States seemed to skyrocket. Between Listeria and E. coli outbreaks and problems with undeclared allergens and other potential contaminants, there were 1,908 food and cosmetic recalls during fiscal year 2024 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which operated since October 1, 2023, until September. . 30, 2024.
The FDA groups food and cosmetic recalls together, but contributing to the large number of recalls in 2024 were Listeria outbreaks at Boar’s Head and Brucepac, which resulted in the recall of more than 15 million pounds of ready-to-eat foods.
Food recalls weren’t at their highest point in 2024, but they were higher than in some recent years, so we spoke to a food safety expert to get some answers.
Here’s a look at the recent history of food recalls and what to expect in 2025.
Were food recalls higher in 2024 than in 2023?
Yes. You weren’t imagining the increase in alerts regarding food recalls. According FDA dataDuring fiscal year 2024, there were just over 1,900 food/cosmetic recalls.
Here’s how that stacks up to the last five years:
- In 2023, There was 1,563 Food/cosmetic souvenirs.
- In 2022, There was 1,809 Food/cosmetic souvenirs.
- In 2021, There was 1,026 Food/cosmetic souvenirs.
- In 2020, There was 1,536 Food/cosmetic souvenirs.
- In 2019, There was 2,046 Food/cosmetic souvenirs.
This means that 2024 food/cosmetic recalls were the highest since 2019. But that’s not the full picture. Despite the increase in 2024, food/cosmetic recalls were still lower than in any of the seven years prior to 2020, and in more than half of those years, they were significantly lower. In 2017, for example, there were 3,609 food/cosmetic recalls, almost double the amount in 2024.
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This chart represents how many food/cosmetic recalls there have been in the US each fiscal year since 2012.
What was behind the food withdrawals in 2024?
During the removal of the boar’s head, at least 61 people became ill and 10 died, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making it the deadliest outbreak of 2024. And the number of people who became ill in connection with contaminated deli meat is believed to be much higher.
“Recalls involving Listeria are more difficult just because of the type of bacteria it is,” Jaydee Hanson, policy director at the Food Safety Centerhe tells CNET.
As a result of the contamination, more than 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry were recalled. A newly released United States Department of Agriculture Review linked “inadequate sanitation practices” at a Virginia facility to the outbreak.
According to the review, there were “multiple instances of non-compliance with sanitation standard operating procedures and sanitation performance standards” at the facility, including product residue left on equipment from the previous day’s use. The USDA review also cited the need for stronger government inspections and oversight. The boar’s head told USA Today that the company is now working to implement “enhanced food safety programs companywide.”
While sanitation practices and issues contributed to food recalls in 2024, Hanson says there are other factors that need to be considered, including climate change and the location of the farms where our food is grown.
“Vegetables in particular are not inspected much,” Hanson says, “and we have some really huge meat production operations that, in my opinion, are too close to the vegetable operations.”
“If you’re pumping water into your vegetable field that’s coming out of a meat operation, you’re going to have Salmonella, E. coli and other things in that water that you’re pumping into the field,” he adds.
Organic whole carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms and distributed in several stores in the US were recalled due to an E. coli outbreak in 2024.
Another large Listeria-related recall included nearly 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat that was produced at a facility in Durant, Oklahoma. According Food Safety NewsReady-to-eat meat is handled much more than raw meat within the facility, increasing the chances of contamination.
Hanson says he believes “demand for convenience and greater centralization of the production of these foods” is another cause of widespread recalls.
“When every small town used to have a butcher shop that made liver pairs from animals that were harvested right there, you didn’t spread it to the whole country,” he says. “Now, if you only have a handful of companies that produce a lot of food, when there is a problem, it spreads across the country.”
Will withdrawals increase in 2025?
It’s too early to know how withdrawals will go in the new year, and with the new presidential administration, there is additional uncertainty. One factor contributing to that is a pause in communications from the FDA, CDC and other government agencies, which the Trump administration ordered this week, as reported by the Washington Post.
“HHS has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health,” Stefanie Spear, the principal deputy chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services, told CNET in an email. electronic. “This is a brief pause to allow the new team to establish a process for review and prioritization. There are exceptions for announcements that HHS divisions believe are missionary, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis.”
Pause in communication will last until February 1, NPR reported. It is unclear whether the FDA’s current protocol of alerting the public about food recalls will change. It is also unclear if the new administration will change any food safety protocols.
“The FDA and USDA now have good tools for (outbreak control), but the big question will be whether they have enough money to implement what needs to be done,” Hanson says.
Another factor to consider is immigration, he says.
A national agricultural workers survey From 2019-2020 it showed that approximately 44% of agricultural workers in the United States are undocumented. Hanson said mass deportations on the scale called for by President Donald Trump could result in job shortages that could lead to “attempts to find more ways to save Labor from managing the growth of our crops.”
“A lot of it comes down to how much money Congress gives to the FDA and USDA to make sure things are properly inspected,” Hanson says.
How to protect yourself from foodborne illnesses
It is important to pay attention to recalls when they become public, and take necessary precautions when dealing with recalled food, such as discarding it immediately and cleaning any surfaces it may have come into contact with.
You can also start buying from your local farmers, so you can directly track where your food comes from. It’s also important to make sure you always cook meat to the recommended temperature, to kill any possible bacteria.
“If you’re cooking meat, always pay attention to safe temperatures,” says Hanson. “A good thermometer will cost you about $10. Buy it and use it. Your emergency room copay will be a lot more than that thermometer.”
