What’s happening with all of these food recalls?

What’s happening with all of these food recalls?

By Emily Schmall

Recently, there’s been a flood of troubling information about food. Ten individuals succumbed after consuming Boar’s Head deli products during a listeria outbreak that also hospitalized many others. One person has lost their life and over 100 have fallen ill due to an E. coli outbreak tied to onions used in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. This month, food recalls have been occurring nearly daily.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to head the federal health sector, has often described the U.S. food system as “broken.” Public opinion appears to resonate with this view: A September survey indicated that trust in federal agencies to guarantee food safety has reached an all-time low.

However, a detailed look at foodborne illnesses and recalls presents a more nuanced story. Specialists assert that, by certain criteria, the food supply has become safer in recent years: Enhanced testing systems now allow for quicker detection of contaminated food, leading to faster recalls, often resulting in smaller outbreaks. Additionally, identifying foodborne illnesses and linking them to specific outbreaks has become more straightforward. Nevertheless, there’s been less advancement than experts had anticipated at this point.

“I wouldn’t claim the food supply is becoming less safe, but I wouldn’t say it’s getting safer either,” noted Donald Schaffner, a food science professor at Rutgers University. “We’ve somewhat plateaued.”

Experts believe that the stagnation stems partly from a fragmented regulatory framework struggling to keep up with an increasingly complicated food supply chain. An increase in imported products and ingredients means food is more often produced, packaged, and distributed by different entities. An elongated and less integrated supply chain creates numerous opportunities for food contamination.

Consumer behaviors have shifted as well, with more individuals opting for pre-packaged foods like deli meats and bagged salads that they do not wash or cook themselves.

“We have greater consumer awareness, more testing, and more methods to identify these pathogens,” stated Darin Detwiler, a professor specializing in food regulatory affairs at Northeastern University. “Yet, with the vast changes in consumer habits and the rise of convenience foods, we might ultimately find ourselves losing the battle.”

Incidence of foodborne illness

In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported approximately 5,600 foodborne illness cases, down from about 13,800 in 2009. This is merely a small fraction of the true annual disease burden: The CDC estimates that around 48 million people become ill with foodborne diseases annually, resulting in approximately 3,000 deaths from these infections each year.

In 2020, the federal government established a target to lower infections from some of the most deadly pathogens by 2030. However, a report from the CDC in September indicated that illness rates from listeria, salmonella, and E. coli have not improved, with rates for other pathogens having increased.

“We aren’t achieving the progress we had anticipated,” remarked Dr. Jennifer Cope, a medical epidemiologist and head of enteric diseases at the CDC.

Recalls have nearly doubled between 2012 and 2024, although the Food and Drug Administration combines food and cosmetic recall figures. Some of this increase may be attributed to improved testing. Additionally, not all recalls involve pathogens: Since 2011, roughly 40% of recalls have stemmed from allergen issues, according to FDA spokesperson Janell Goodwin.

Advancements in whole-genome sequencing over the past decade have equipped public health investigators with superior tools for swiftly identifying pathogens in fresh produce and food items, as well as tracing them back to specific restaurants, grocery retailers, and food suppliers. Consequently, the FDA can now issue recall announcements even before illnesses are reported. Experts indicate that food companies are also informing consumers more promptly, avoiding the negative publicity associated with outbreaks.

“This indicates that our food safety system is functioning, detecting issues before any illness occurs,” stated Craig Hedberg, a public health researcher and food safety authority at the University of Minnesota.

Increased hazards for fresh produce

Most regulatory oversight of the food supply falls under the FDA, with the exception of meat, poultry, and certain egg products, which are governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Experts report that beef, pork, and poultry are currently experiencing fewer significant outbreaks and recalls than in past decades. The industry modified its processes following a 1993 E. coli outbreak linked to undercooked hamburgers at Jack in the Box that sickened over 600 individuals and resulted in the deaths of four children.

“That was a pivotal moment that compelled the food safety sector to reevaluate how beef, pork, and poultry were regulated,” said Benjamin Chapman, a professor and food safety expert at North Carolina State University.

Traditionally, fruits and vegetables were not considered as risky as meat, yet recent data reveal that fresh produce is now a leading source of foodborne illnesses.

Fruits and veggies can be contaminated by pathogens inherent in soil or water used for irrigation that may carry animal waste from nearby farms. Produce may also become tainted in processing facilities through contact with unclean surfaces or staff, or during transport in distribution vehicles. These pathogens can persist on fresh produce even after thorough washing.

The Food Safety Modernization Act, enacted by former President Barack Obama in 2011, aimed to mitigate contamination in produce-growing regions, but its effectiveness is constrained: FDA inspectors are limited by a law that prevents them from collecting test samples from neighboring animal farms without landowners’ consent.

The complexities of the food supply

Food suppliers are increasingly acquiring fresh produce, seafood, and other items from abroad, posing regulatory challenges. These modifications in how food is produced and consumed have made tracking the supply chain more complex, noted Detwiler, the Northeastern professor, who became an advocate for food safety after his toddler son died in the Jack in the Box incident.

Susan Mayne, who directed the FDA’s food safety efforts during the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, stated that the FDA lacks the resources to inspect many foreign facilities. The agency physically checks less than 1% of food imports.

This oversight gap was highlighted last year, when applesauce pouches containing lead-tainted cinnamon sourced from Ecuador caused illness in hundreds of children nationwide. The FDA had neither inspected the Ecuadorian plant nor sampled the product upon its arrival in the United States.

Inspections could additionally be compromised by proposed reductions in federal funding for state food safety programs, remarked Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs at the consumer advocacy organization Center for Science in the Public Interest. States often perform on-site inspections of restaurants, food processing facilities, and farms on behalf of the FDA.

Federal inspectors have also faced criticism for their slow response after potential contamination issues were identified. A whistleblower complaint in February 2021 alerted the FDA to unsafe conditions at a baby formula manufacturing facility in Michigan. It took almost a year for the agency to commence an inspection. Bacteria was discovered in the plant, leading to a recall. At that point, one infant had already died due to a cronobacter infection linked to the formula. Another infant later died, alongside two others who became ill.

The USDA also faced backlash for its delayed response after inspectors repeatedly identified black mold, rust, and other concerns at a Boar’s Head processing facility in Virginia starting in September 2022. A recall was only initiated following this summer’s tragic outbreak.

Kennedy has pledged to reduce entire departments within the FDA, claiming that large agricultural producers “control” the agency. However, Mayne asserts that decreasing staff will only impede the efforts of federal inspectors. She commented that Kennedy’s “narrative suggesting that FDA experts are somehow influenced by industry is simply untrue.”

Regulators have their limitations, Mayne contended.

“The FDA acts as the food safety enforcer,” she stated. “However, the ultimate accountability for ensuring safety truly lies with the food industry.”

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